Project: Mockingbird
by PixieGirl13
Summary: Full Sum inside:He was a mistake,something that shouldn't have been created. In his mix of confusion and frustration,Gene Summers retells his story to his two friends. Meanwhile,the creater of him,Slade,realizes his mistake and is now trying to fix it.
1. Chapter 1 Journal 1

Full Summary: He was a mistake, something that shouldn't have been created. In his mix of confusion and frustration, Gene Summers retells his story to his two friends. Meanwhile, the creater of him, Slade, realizes his mistake and is now despertly trying to correct it. Gene is thrown into a new life on the run from Slade and bumps into the Titans, Hive Five, and even Red X in his escape. But what he doesn't know is that Slade isn't the enemy. Something bigger is.

A/N: This fic is from me watching too many sci-fi movies like "The Island" and "Aeon Flux". I got the POV from a book series called Pendragon. I'm sure I won't disappoint with this fic. But…I like reviews, so please don't be a slacker and never review. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Titans or Slade in this fic. I guess the rest of the characters are mine, though…so please don't use them.

**Project: Mockingbird**

By: Pixiegirl13

Journal 1: Part 1

Life is way more real and complicated than any high school student could ever dream of.

Right now I'm in a dim cellar that has to be somewhere underground in a state I don't know. Heck! I could be in another country or planet for all I know! But it's cold and wet down here in this crap hole. The bed in the corner of the room feels like it is a soggy piece of bread on springs. Bugs and mice have been my only company for the past three long hours. And if you think I'm making friends and singing to them like some take off of Cinderella, then you're dead wrong. They already stole my eraser for who knows what. They don't deserve to be sung to.

I guess you guys are wondering why I'm writing this. Well, the person who put me here let me keep my backpack full of paper. I decided to write to you guys because it relieves stress. And right now I'm under a lot of stress. Here is the story so far. But I'm warning you that there is a lot of it.

I guess it would start off when I was in our town's library yesterday. I love the feel when I'm in that building. It has always just blown me away when I think about all the wondrous knowledge and amazing ideas all stored in one place for the entire public to see at just the turn of a simple page. Rows of shelves stored with copious amounts of books in just one building is something a book geek like loves and wishes to own.

I was in the horror section, of course. I've always been drawn to that genre ever since I was little…at least I think so. I don't remember anything past the age eleven. It was all just one giant blur that I don't plan on figuring out anytime soon. But I was on alert because our History teacher had given each of his classes a history term paper that was due the next day, so all the jocks I knew were piling into the same place in search for a random book to use as a source in their bibliography. I had finished the thing maybe a week ago, so I wasn't one of the many trying to claim a book. The reason I was on alert was because the school's guy rugby team decided that day was the day they would all come in. I was on the team, but not one of them.

As I looked over my thick book in my leather seat, I swore as the whole team came in. If I was caught reading the hardback old Edgar Ellen Poe book I had in my hands at the time, I would be ridiculed and laughed at for a whole rugby season with these guys. On any other team, I would only be the laughing stalk for a week or so. But this was my rugby team. There are some hard ass guys on this team.

So my plan was to get out of there or at least hide from the team. Keeping the book at just the right angle to hide my face, I snuck off to a shelf that would hide me further. The team's captain, a big tight head prop, laughed loudly at some stupid joke and the others chimed in right away. I hoped that booming laugh wouldn't be directed at me any time soon.

It was at this time that I was asking myself why I was such a freak. I tried out for every sport known to mankind. I could always be seen doing either simple ones in school, ranging from traditional track and field to hardcore crazy rugby, or any extreme ones like mountain climbing and sky diving. So usually I would be classified in school as the mindless or egotistical jock that received any girl of my desire. But that was only half of me.

The other side of me is pure Goth. Only you guys know this side of me. None of my jock friends know that I frequently go to coffee houses and write or read dark poetry in my room for hours sometimes. I just randomly get urges to settle down with herbal tea in a room lit only by candles and read a good horror book.

I'm like the biggest clash of personalities known to mankind! By day I'm Gene the Jock, by night I'm Gothic Gene. And with High School coming up I've been divided inside by my desires. I mean, in middle school you can always swing either way. But in high school you have to pick a social status and stay with it. You can always change during those four years, but it's a hard thing to pull off without having a few people hate you for it. But you mostly can't be both. Some lucky star people somehow can do it, but the last time I've checked my horoscope I didn't see a lot of luck in it about school matters. I quickly learned how unlucky I could get.

My book suddenly got interesting enough so that my brain that I had put into overdrive slowed down and focused more on the words on the page. My mind and body slowly started to relax somewhat as I kept reading. I was so deep into my book that I didn't even notice the freak with giant dark sunglasses standing casually next to me.

The tall man wore a black leather trench coat, tan shirt, jeans, comfortable running shoes, and like I said before, sunglasses. His fading black hair was slightly spiked up. I couldn't tell how old he was. He could between his late 20's to early 40's. It was hard to tell. But he was just standing there and didn't seem to have any purpose at all for being here at all.

"How did I know that you would be in the horror section?" he said smoothly. His voice was calm yet also freakishly cold. I looked up from my book with a little jump of surprise. Mr. Smoothness had his hands in his coat pockets and looked at me with a knowingness air to him. His lips twisted into a smug smile as he watched me closely.

"Um…do I know you?" I asked stupidly as I tried to remember if I knew the guy from a wedding or party my parents made me attend. My parents take me everywhere because I'm their only child. It was hard to keep track of all the friends or relatives of theirs I've met over the past few years. I felt like I was back at one of those weddings where all those old people say hi to you like they have known you for years and then finally say the last time they saw you was when you were five months old. I was just as confused here.

"Yes…and no," the mystery man said after a pause. He motioned toward my rugby team and asked casually, "Running away from something?"

I gave Mr. Smoothness my normal disgusted teenager look that told any adult I could care less as to what they were saying. I was trying to give the dude hints that he was creeping me out. "Sure," I muttered back at him before returning my eyes back to my book. Maybe if I ignored him he would just leave.

"Rugby is kind of dangerous, you know?" Mr. Smoothness said, making me stumble on the sentence I was trying to read. Now the guy was getting on my nerves. His goofy answer to my question already made me alert as to what a freak he was, but he dodging my disgusted look now sent me a little red flag in my brain.

I looked up and jumped when seeing him right next to me. Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist in a vice grip. I gave a small cry of pain and jerked back as confusion and fear crept through me. I had no clue who this guy was, but he seemed to know me somehow. The man put his gloved hand over my mouth as I tried to scream for help. I had never been physically attacked by someone and my brain was shutting down. I didn't know what to do or how to get away.

I just stood there, useless, as the dude effortlessly took out a glass case from his pocket. He popped it open with his thumb and shook the contents onto my bare arm. I stared with wide eyes of fear as two little mechanical black bugs dropped out of the box. They were the size of a pencil eraser. They crawled down my arm and to my stomach. Then suddenly they drilled into my skin. I screamed as siring hot pain formed in my stomach. I tried to desperately get away from this madman.

I guess the pain snapped me back into action. I swung the book in my other hand up and tried to whack the guy's hand that was clamped onto my wrist. He swiftly dodged the attack by simply taking his hand away. I threw the book at him and he ducked with a twisted smile coming to his lips. I paused when seeing this. One part of me said to run and get the heck out of there, but the other was this burning anger that yelled at me to attack this dude. I went with the second. I don't know what I was thinking because I was being incredibly stupid. For some reason I thought I had a good chance at taking this guy down.

I came at the man with an angry growl and went in for a punch. At the time, I was thanking all my years of karate and kung fu I had taken. But just like that, my confidence level dropped when the guy merely caught my wrist throwing the punch and whiled me around. My back slammed against his chest and it took me three to four seconds for my brain to register that this guy now had me pinned against him.

Oh! Smack down! So far it was Mr. Smoothness three, me zero. I wasn't doing too hot. My brain was overwhelmed with questions and complete confusion. Now I was pinned against this mystery man and had no idea what to do next. I was stuck.

"You are too predictable, boy," the man said smugly into my ear. His voice sent shivers crawling up and down my spine. I didn't know why I was so scared or angry at him. Before I could come back with some kind of nasty reply, I felt a gun press against my side. I gasped in fear and tried to wiggle out of the hold he had on me. He just dug the gun in deeper and it made me wince, not from pain, but from visuals of me getting my stomach blown out. Was that last sentence too much? Sorry.

But I couldn't help but ask, "What kind of thief robs a library? You can get these books for free, you know?" I tilted my head up to look him in the eyes, but all I got back was the same old evil smile and mystery under those sunglasses of his.

"I'm not here for the books," the man said with a small chuckle. I guess he found my question funny. "I'm here for you." I froze. No kidding. I just completely froze up. My brain locked and I didn't even try to open it up again. I guess I stood there looking like an idiot with my mouth open in fear and shock. I didn't know why this news sent me this reaction, but it was scarring me to death.

Then I snapped. But it wasn't like psycho snap like in that horror book and movie _Carrie_ when she started brutally killing everyone in the building with her crazy powers. This was more like a calm snap. I just let my body flow into motion as I swiftly kicked the inside of the man's leg then duck rolled under him as he let my wrist go with a curse. I was then up and running…or more along the lines of sprinting.

I sped out of the horror section with my violet eyes narrowed in determination. About what, I didn't know at the time. My mind was set on one thing, though. Get the heck away from the madman out to get me! I raced past my rugby team without even a glance. I heard one of them yell loudly with surprise, "Is that Gene Summers? What the hell is he running from?" They quickly found out when Mr. Smoothness shoved past them after me. "Run, forest, run!" one of them yelled jokingly. Before I was out the door, I heard the rest of the group laugh.

I didn't care if they weren't taking my situation seriously. I would have been laughing with them if I saw one of them run out like what I was doing. I bounded down the steps of our public library as if the devil himself was on my trail, which I wasn't too far off. I paused once I was on the sidewalk, and I tried to decide where to go. I didn't get much time to think about it because the man chasing me was just then busting through the doors. He spotted me quickly and aimed his gun…but he didn't shoot right away.

Now that I think about it, it was like the dude didn't want to get me hurt. He was doing a fine job at making me almost wet my pants, but he wasn't out to kill me. Too bad I noticed this only now, because things would have been done differently if I would have known. But at that point, my head was spinning and the only thing I could function with was that running was the only way to get some distance between me and Mr. Smoothness.

Once again I took off in a sprint. I could hear the man run after me after shooting a few times in my general direction. It was now a battle as to who was either the fastest runner or who had the most endurance. I soon had to slow down from my sprint to a gentle run as my lungs burned for more air. I stole a glance behind me and cringed.

Mr. Smoothness was fast! The guy was gaining ground quickly. I swore under my breath as I realized I wouldn't lose the guy this way. The sidewalk came to an intersection and I blindly ran out into the street like those drunken nude guys on those cop shows. It's only by pure luck they don't get whacked over by a car. I somehow was able to obtain that same luck as the traffic of our simple city screeched and swerved to a stop around me. There were a few colorful words yelled at me and a lot of angry hand signals pointed in my direction for my suicide move.

I thought for sure that Mr. Smoothness would stop as a car blocked his pathway toward me. But once again, I was dead wrong. The guy didn't even stop and go around the huge SUV in front of him. He leaped gracefully into the air and flipped over the car with a skill I only saw in action movies. When I saw this I wasn't too surprised. I was more annoyed than anything else. Was there anything that could stop this guy?

I quickly picked up my speed and continued running down the sidewalk. It was Saturday, so the town's streets were more crowded than usual. I think I knocked a few people over as I sped past them, ignoring their reprimands and calls to slow down. The town's park entrance suddenly came up and I ran into it, thinking I could lose the guy if I hid behind one of the many trees. I knew there was another entrance on the other side of the park, so I zigzagged my way throughout the trees and bushes, all the time heading toward that second entrance.

I was very close to my exit when I noticed that I wasn't being pursued anymore. I slowed down to a stop next to a big oak tree and bent over gasping for more air. My legs felt like rubber from running so fast for so long. My stomach still tingled from where those two odd things drilled into my skin. I lifted my T-shirt up to check the damage, but there were no marks. I sighed with confusion and started to slowly make my way to the exit, trying to slow my pounding heart down.

The weather yesterday was wonderful. I watched the sun show through the spaces between the leaves dance as the wind moved them around. I ran my hand through my always spiky black hair as I realized that some madman had been chasing me and that my family might have been in danger too. If the dude knew so much about me, he had to know who my parents were as well. But then I remembered that my parents had left for vacation that morning, so they wouldn't be at home.

Suddenly something dropped down in front of me, and I had no time to press on my brakes. I crashed into the man and then landed on my butt with a shout of surprise. I gasped as I looked up and saw Mr. Smoothness there staring down at me emotionlessly.

"How…how did you know where…?" I gave up trying to ask him my question as the shock of the situation died down. "Swell!" I whispered sarcastically to myself. I dug my heels into the soft ground to push myself away from the madman standing before me. I gave a short yell as the man grabbed a fist full of the front of my shirt and yanked me up into the air effortlessly. He forcefully slammed my back against a tree.

"You have a lot to learn, boy," the man told me in a firm voice.

"Yeah, I still have four years of high school to complete," I answered in a growl. I wiggled in his grasp with a frustrated grunt.

The man frowned before saying, "I don't know who you get that sarcastic attitude from, but it's going to have to stop." He rummaged through his coat pocket nonchalantly until he found whatever he was searching for. There was a tiny beep from the pocket and then suddenly my whole body went up in pain. The man let me go, and I collapsed onto the ground on my hands and knees. It was like my whole body was in a Charlie horse. The pain was so great, I could only cringe and moan as it continued.

This went on for at least five minutes that seemed like five years. Before the pain went away, I have to admit that tears were steaming down my face. The pain was _that_ great! But just as quickly as it started, it left. I panted as my body shook uncontrollably. My energy had been zapped and I was desperately clinging onto consciousness.

I looked up into this madman's face with hopelessness on my own. Darkness started to creep across my now blurring vision. But I will always remember him smiling coldly down on me and saying, "You are now mine."

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I'm sure most of you people out there know who "Mr. Smoothness" is by now. If not…at least read the full summary. I put a lot of hints as to who Gene really is in this chapter. So…tell me how you like it. I'm very pleased with my first chapter. I hope you guys feel the same. Please give a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2 Zach and Rose

A/N: Do you think I should redo the summary? I haven't gotten a lot of hits or reviews with this fic and I don't know why. Oh well, I'm too in love with this fic to give up on it. But I'm kindly asking for advice or praise in a review. Just to make you guys who are reading not confused, this chapter isn't about Gene. This chapter focuses on the people Gene is writing his story to. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Teen Titans characters.

Chapter 2

"Where is he?" Zach exploded as his impatience got the better of him. He tapped his foot as the clock ticked by slowly that early morning. Middle school wasn't even starting and all the kids were gathering into their groups outside the building talking loudly and giggling. The boy's brown eyes lit up when he spotted Gene's girlfriend, Rose, above the crowd of teens. She was gracefully climbing the steps to their school's main doors.

Zach frowned when he didn't see her with his best friend. With a disappointed sigh, Zach caught up with Rose. "Have you seen, Gene?" Zach asked Rose as he pulled up beside the girl smoothly. She truly was stunning. Her long black hair spilled down her back and over her slender shoulders. Her brilliant green eyes could make any guy fall to his knees in submission.

Rose Zimmerman was just an overall sweet goody good girl. She would cry even if a pesky fly died in front of her. She was studious and responsible most of the time. She was the person in Gene's life that made him strive for good grades and to do well in the world. Her engaging personality was what had caught the young boy's eye that year. They could talk for hours about things. She was overall perfect in Gene's eyes.

Zach Turner, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. With his short Mohawk and lip and eyebrow piercing, he was already labeled as a rebel in many adult's eyes. The teen was loud, rude, and out going. He flirted with any good looking girl in the school, middle or high, and he was turned down too many times for his friends to count.

But Zach somehow became Gene Summer's very best friend. Zach had moved from Atlanta, Georgia to the small Pennsylvania town at the beginning of sixth grade. Zach disliked the move. He hated the change from busy streets to farm lands. And he swore even now that he would never get used to the road apples on the streets left behind by the Amish buggies.

Zach had spent most of his sixth grade year on a bridge that reminded him of one back in Atlanta, thinking about his old friends and sulking about his parents' choice to move. He was surprised one day in the summer when a kid his age suddenly ran past him and jumped up onto the edge of the bridge. Some kids swimming the cool, refreshing river below yelled up at him to jump.

"I'll only jump if someone else does it with me!" the kid had yelled back down.

"You're crazy, Gene!" the kids had shouted with laughs.

"I'll go with you!" Zach had shouted as he took off his shirt. The kid had looked at him with a giant smile on his face. "I've done this back in Atlanta a thousand times," Zach had told Gene with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Gene had the same shine in his violet eyes as they both looked down into the depths of the river below them. "Just…hold your nose."

That jump had been the start of their relationship. Zach was Gene's wild and crazy side. There was never a dull moment when the two were together. Even though they had only known each other for two years, it was like they knew each other since first grade. Now that Gene had a girlfriend, Zach wasn't giving his friend a chance to hang out more with her. Rose had realized that if she wanted Gene, Zach came with him. She was beginning to get use to him, but he still annoyed her at times.

"No, Zach," Rose said calmly to him as they walked down the hallway, "I haven't seen Gene anywhere today. He must be having a sick day."

Zach gave a sharp, disbelieving laugh and said to her, "Sick day, my ass!" Rose sighed in annoyance but let Zach continue. "Gene is playing all of us. His parents are out of town and he's playing hooky. He should have called me this morning! We could have caught a bus to the beach!"

"Or he could just be sick," Rose said blankly.

"Yeah," Zach said with a shrug, "But my theory is more entertaining than yours. Plus, Gene Summers _always_ comes to school…unless we're playing hooky," he added quickly. "You remember when he came in here one morning with that high fever? He was sent home before first period even started. He would be here today if he was…"

Suddenly something dropped in front of them. The two jumped back in surprise. Zach looked up just in time to see a tiny black hole in the ceiling close and disappear. He frowned in confusion and then looked back down to see Rose picking up the thing that had dropped in front of them. She held the thing up between them with the same deep confusion on her face.

"What the hell is it?" Zach asked, suddenly unimpressed. He folded his arms in front of him and stared skeptically at the bundle of notebook paper in Rose's hands. Rose looked up at him and then tilted her head to the side. "What?" he asked loudly.

"Were your eyes always cat like?" she asked with confusion. She then sighed and added, "Or are those just contact lenses?"

"Gene's weirdness is rubbing off on you, woman," Zach said. "My eyes have always been the same. Now, what is that load of crap your holding that came from the ceiling? What does it say?"

Rose nodded politely to him and unrolled the papers. It must have been the light that made her think she saw his eye's look like a cat's. "It's in Gene's hand writing," she observed.

"Give me those!" Zach said with frustration as he snatched the papers out of her hands. He read the first few lines and frowned deeply. "What is the kid doing to us? Is he freaking serious? He says he has been kidnapped and wants to tell us the story."

Rose giggled cutely suddenly as she looked over Zach's shoulder to read. "I'm sure this is just one of his many stories. He is a good writer, you know?"

"Yeah, but it's like he's writing to us," Zach said as he read more of the story in his hands. "This is interesting, actually. I've never read any of Gene's work." The two were suddenly emerged into their friend's story and read it there in the hallway. The more they read, the more they believed that Gene really was kidnapped by the guy in the sunglasses.

The bell suddenly rang loudly in the hallway. Both teens jumped and gasped in surprise at the sound. They looked at each other then back at the story. "We'll read the rest at lunch," Zach finally said. He rolled the pages up and stuck it in the backpack before Rose could say anything about it. "See ya'," he muttered with a small wave.

The teen forgot about the papers till Rose suddenly sat across from him at the lunch table. Her lunch consisted of a chicken topped salad and bottle water. Zach looked at it with disgust. Like always, his was the opposite. He had a hamburger, slushy, chips, a cookie, soda, and two whole tubs full of ketchup.

"Did you forget breakfast?" Rose asked him, noticing the mountain load of food on the boy's tray.

"No, I had two bowls of cereal this morning," Zach mumbled through the food in his mouth. He shot her a dark glare while asking, "Why?"

Rose blushed profusely in embarrassment. She stumbled over her words as she said quickly, "No reason! I was just asking!" Zach shrugged and continued to wolf down his hamburger that had been completely smothered by his ketchup. Rose hesitated before finally asking, "Do you have the papers?"

Zach silently reached into his back pocket and grabbed the papers with a sigh. He put them on the table in the middle of them. They then quietly began to read while they ate.

A/N: The next chapter is Gene's story. I hope you liked it so far. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3 Toilet Dive

A/N: I just watched X Men 3 and I laughed when I realized when I realized that Gene Summers really could be connected to the movies if Jean Grey and the guy Cyclops got married because Cyclops's last name is Summers. Yeah, I might need to change that. Enough of my nonsense! Here is the chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: For this chapter…I only own Gene. I don't own Slade.

Chapter 3

Journal 1: Part 2

_Continuation…_

The next thing I knew, I woke up with a start. I think I regretted even awakening. My whole body felt like a giant bruise. I seriously didn't know what I would be waking up to. With a shake of my pounding head, I pushed myself up a bit with a groan of pain. So far life wasn't appealing to me and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep.

"That feeling will wear off in a few minutes," someone said from behind me. It was Mr. Smoothness' voice. Even though I only knew the guy for less than an hour, I could never forget his voice. This time my reaction was the normal one. A shiver sparked up my spine as fear gripped my heart. I was in the hands of a madman! Of course I was freaked out!

I forced myself to my feet, but didn't stay there for too long. I stumbled on my wobbly legs then finally fell backwards and my back smashed against a wall. My head spun and I could swear I saw stars. I remember wincing at the feeling. At that moment…I was hating life.

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to uncomplicate my mind. Is uncomplicate even a word? I don't care. I'm using it anyways. But I needed my questions answered somehow if I was going or doing anything.

It was then that I noticed that Mr. Smoothness wasn't wearing his civilian clothes anymore. He had on a black and orange top with silver armor covering most of his body. He had black gloves and metal bottom shoes. His face was covered by a mask. One half of it was orange and the other half was black just like his shirt. Only one eye was shown as he stared silently at me. I wondered what happened to the covered one. I wasn't stupid enough to ask, though.

"You are not in Pennsylvania anymore, if that answers your question," Mr. Smoothness said while folding his arms in front of his chest. He looked at me up and down, perhaps sizing me up for something he had planned in _his_ future. I was the kid that had been captured. I had no say in my near future right now.

I secretly scanned the room for any opening for me to get my butt out of there. Even though my brain had been shut down for hours and was forced into unfamiliar territory, it was working smoothly for once. I had been up for only a few seconds and I had already made a goal for myself. All I wanted was to escape from this crazy dude. That goal is a repetitive one.

Without warning, I dived to the side in an attempt to escape by surprise. My muscles protested against the sudden move, but I ignored my soreness and made a mad dash for the open metal door behind the man. He stepped to the side and actually let me pass him. He wasn't worried at all that I would escape. I figured this out when I made it to the door and ran into two robots that had appeared there.

The two robots looked very much alike Mr. Smoothness. The armor was exactly the same color and such. They grabbed my arms and turned me around to face my captor. I didn't like my little defeat and protested against it by shouting up a storm and kicking everything that came into contact with me…mostly the air. I didn't like the fact that I was being held somewhere against my own will. If I wasn't so mad I think I would be scared out of my mind. I didn't want to look like a wimp, so I kept trying to feel angry to not show my fear.

Some other robot came in with a simple wooden chair. My butt was shoved into it; and while one robot kept me in the seat, another put a pair of handcuffs on me. They then stood back and seemed to vanish into the shadows of the small room we were in. I glared at the robots and sulked in my chair, unable to move.

My anger front was working nicely up until this point. I looked back to where Mr. Smoothness was standing and gasped when I was suddenly staring into his face. Now that my anger was completely gone and my fear had returned, questions were now exploding in my head once again. I gulped as a lump of fear formed in my throat.

"Who are you?" I wasn't very original or creative with my question forming. After the first one came out, the others just spilled from my mouth rapidly. "Where am I? What do you want with me? What's so special about me? What did you do to me back in the park?"

I didn't get to finish my question spree. The man stepped back from me with an annoyed look in his eye. He held up a little remote and pressed a button on it. Instantly, a loud buzzing sound exploded in my head. It was intense and painful, like my full body muscle cramp that made me pass out. I stopped talking right away and winced. Once my talking had finished, he pressed the button again and the pain stopped.

I sat there in the chair, panting from the pain. "No more questions," the man said emotionlessly. I shook my head as the sting of the buzz slowly faded from my brain. He was controlling my nerves or something with that remote. He had already done it twice now. The thought of this man controlling me for the rest of my life didn't do anything good to my already spiked fear.

"What is th…," I began to ask him. I stopped when he held up the remote as if to hint that he was serious about my questions. "Fine," I spat out with frustration running deep in my voice. How was I to do anything if I didn't ask questions?

"I am _wondering_ what that thing in your hand is," I said with a sly smile. "I am also wondering why I'm here and what you want with me."

Surprisingly enough, the man didn't look too annoyed at me. He nodded his head as if satisfied and put the remote back into his belt again. "We have a lot to cover in the next few years," the man said with a sigh. He looked down on me and asked, "How good of shape are you in?"

I averted my eyes away from him and to the ground. There was silence for a few seconds. I could feel the man's eye bore down on me with harshness. He wouldn't let me ask any questions! Why should I answer his?

"You were talking immensely just a minute ago, boy," the man said down to me. "Talk."

"First of all, I have a name, mister," I said. I stared straight back at him now. "You're the one who kidnapped me, so you should know it. Use it for once! And I would yours, but I don't freaking know it!" I sighed after my small tirade and muttered bitterly, "I don't know anything at this point."

"Your last sentence was the only intelligent one I've heard from you yet," the man said. He circled my chair while saying, "And that is why I refuse to call you Gene, boy. You know absolutely nothing; about me, about fighting, and even about yourself. Until you learn these things and win my respect, you're nothing more than a stupid schoolboy in my eyes."

"Fighting?" I asked. "Why would I want to know about fighting?"

He stopped in front of me with his hands clasped calmly behind his back. "So you _do_ listen?" he asked me with a small sarcastic tone in his voice. I frowned at him. Boy was I frustrated with this man!

"So far I've listened to everything you've said," I stated, "And everything you've said is confusing. I just want my questions answered. Why can't you just answer one?"

The man stared down at me for a second or two. I think he was pondering my question. I didn't dare break my eye contact with him. I was afraid that if I did I wouldn't be worthy enough to him and he wouldn't say anything. Finally he motioned for his robots to leave the room. The metal medal door closed swiftly behind the last one. I realized I was alone with this man again. For some reason this made me more scared than before.

"I'll start by introducing myself," the man said once he was able to get my eye contact again. "I am Slade…but for now on you will call me Master." I went through at least three emotions in only the matter of seconds. First I was confused by the term Master. Then I got scared. It didn't take me long to get angry at Slade. I opened my mouth to say something to blow him off, but he simply fingered the remote on his belt. I shut my mouth and let the man continue. I hoped he wasn't button happy.

"You, boy, are not as simple as you might think," Slade said slowly. This sentence caught my attention and I gave him a quizzical look. "You are actually someone else," Slade explained, "Two people, in fact." This time I gave him a complete stupid look. He was beating around the bush. I wasn't getting any of his hints. "You're a clone, boy," Slade suddenly said boldly.

"Huh?" was the only thing I was able to say. I then surprisingly started to laugh. It was a weird moment. I thought I was getting punked or something. I was expecting Ashton to walk out any moment now. When my laughs had died down I asked, "You're not serious are you?" I giggled and said, "So I'm like Dolly the sheep."

"You're cloning process is faster than regular cloning," Slade said emotionlessly. "You are only five years old…but you grew very fast and now have a brain of an average 14-year-old. You will stop growing once you are six or seven years old. Both DNA strands that I fused to make you made you have a time limit to your growth."

"But then how come I have parents?" I asked. "Don't tell me I was adopted."

"I hired them to take care of you till the right age," Slade said simply. "Tell me, do you remember _anything_ before the age of eleven?"

I was about to say yes, but then when I tried to remember just one memory I found none. "This has to be a joke," I said. "If I was a clone, wouldn't I have the same memories as the real people, or sense them? So far there is no definite proof."

"The memories will come in due time," Slade said. "But you won't have any connection if you don't interact with your original selves. Your powers should develop very soon, though. You won't have to worry about any of these things. I have your future planned out."

"Yeah, that makes me very calm," I said sarcastically. "Some madman is now planning my future. I'm completely fine with that." I rolled my eyes then asked, "And what exactly do you mean by powers? Whose DNA did you clone me from? Superman?"

"Their superheroes from the team Teen Titans," Slade answered after a thoughtful pause. "That is all I dare to tell you at the moment about them. Once your telekinetic, telepathic, and transportation powers start to develop, I'm going to have to tell you more about one of the Titans. She is very well disciplined in controlling them, and I hope you are too."

"You talk like all of this is real," I muttered. I have never really been a gullible person. I never fell for those lame jokes in school dealing with it either. Right now I didn't believe a word he was saying. He was making a good point here and there, but I could never see myself as a super powered clone. It was too ridiculous. But then again…it also felt right. Uh! Everything is so confusing these days!

"Believe it or not, boy," Slade said with an uninterested shrug. "But I made you." He walked behind me and suddenly grabbed the back of my chair. Effortlessly, he dragged me in the chair to the door. The robots were there to greet me again. They released me from the chair and we started to walk down a dark hallway, passing only a few labeled metal doors.

"Whoa! Wait!" I shouted, getting over my shock. "There is no point to this! Don't I get any say in this?"

"Actually, no," Slade said behind his shoulder. "This is only for your own safety. Plus, Guinea pigs have never had a choice in things in the many years science has been preformed on this earth." A hint of humor was in his usual unemotional voice as he said this.

I pushed back on my feet and struggled to get out of the grasp the robots had on my arms. "This has to illegal!" I shouted at Slade. The man only laughed at my lack of knowledge and kept walking briskly down the hallway ahead of me. The robots tightened their grip and dragged me roughly along.

Suddenly we stopped. Slade passed a card through a scanner on a metal door labeled in black letters "Cell Number Five". I watched silently as I was escorted into the metal cube like room. A large hole was in the middle of the floor of the room. I row of different colored buttons lined far wall. Slade pressed the blue one and a compartment came out of the wall.

"Nifty," I muttered. Slade glanced over to me, noticing that I was for once not freaking out in some way. He took out a file and pen from the compartment. I spotted the name and read it out loud. "Project: Mockingbird?" I asked.

"You're whole life is in this folder," Slade told me casually. His character was confusing me. When he was chasing me I thought of him of some psycho path. But now he seemed more like a strict father or something. It was weird.

"Drop him in," Slade told his robots after writing a few things in the folder. He closed it and put it back. He then pressed the green button and instantly the rows of bars opened up for the hole in the floor. I realized this was going to be my prison.

"This can't be happening," I muttered to myself. I was pushed to the edge of the side of the hole. "I'm only fourteen!" They unlocked the handcuffs. I was able to keep from falling the first time they tried to push me over the edge. I stared down into the hole with dread. It looked more like a dungeon than a jail cell.

The second time they pushed, I wasn't as lucky. With a cry of surprise, I tipped forward and fell into the hole. I landed on my back with a loud thud. I groaned as the pain washed over my body from the hard fall. I coughed as the dirt as the floor made a dust cloud around me. I sat up and looked straight up to where Slade was staring back down at me.

"This will keep you from boredom," Slade said while dropping something into my cell. The backpack landed a few feet away from me. I glanced over to it then back up to Slade. "I'll be checking up on you in a few days," he said. The man quickly added, "Don't try something stupid."

"Like what?" I shouted back up at him. "I'm stuck in a freaking hole!" Slade left without another word. "Get back here!" I screamed up at him. "You can't just keep me here for the rest of my life!" I kept yelling incoherently at no one but to myself after the bars came back above me and the door to my cell closed shut. I felt like a kid putting up a tantrum for candy in a grocery store, but I kept going.

Once I finally calmed down and spoke to myself that I was fine, I checked my surroundings with a depressed sigh. As I explained it before, it was a royal dump. I had been stripped of my watch, so I had no idea what the time or day it was. This ticked me off even more because I was always the person who looked at their watch when nervous or bored. It just became habit after a while. Watches become part of people. Yeah, I sounded crazy again, didn't I?

"Great!" I whispered sarcastically to myself. I looked up and spotted a camera looking down on my. I moved one way and it followed my move. I frowned up at it. Slade wasn't letting me escape easily. My mission from second one with this guy was getting away. It was still there telling me to escape. A plan was already forming in my head. The plan at the time was stupid, though. I won't go into details, but it was like something out of a Superman comic from way back when. I read too many comics.

But first things first.

I rushed to the small bathroom as my stomach lurched suddenly. I guess the sudden extreme stress and physical torment on my body had caught up with me. I opened the door and spotted the disgusting, fungus covered toilet and sink. There wasn't much a good choice. It was garbage or poop? I dived for the toilet and heaved up whatever I had eaten in the last 24 hours. It wasn't the greatest feeling and I'm sorry I had to tell you this, but it is important.

When I was done, I went to flush the grossness down the toilet. Suddenly I saw something metal in my vomit as the stuff swirled around. I dived into my toilet and clamped down onto the two metal bugs, spraying water and vomit all over my shirt. I winced at the smell, but it was worth it. I now had the things Slade had controlling me with in my very hands. I just knew the bugs had been the ones giving me those cramps and the extreme headache.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed a dirty plastic cup off the sink counter and put the bugs under it on the sink. I smiled to myself for my wonderful luck. My shirt now smelled like vomit, but my escape of this place had gotten brighter.

After that I mulled around my prison, busying myself by writing all this to you guys. I didn't know how I am exactly going to tap into my powers and send it to you or even if I can. (I'm actually hoping I can't.) I just needed to write. But now that I know my escape plan, I'm ready to leave this place. They have been keeping me in good health with plenty of clean water and dinner, but I'm not going to spend my life as Slade's worthless experiment. I'm going to get my butt out of here…tonight.

I've been thinking a lot about what Slade said to me a few days ago. I can't get the idea of me being a clone out of my head. I know I shouldn't believe him, but I keep thinking I am. To prove it, I'm going to go give the Teen Titans a visit once I get out here. They must know that they have been cloned. If not, I'm Gene, a normal kid with no powers and you guys won't be reading this right now.

Man, I miss you guys so much! I wish I could throw this all behind me, but I want to find out the truth about myself. I will see you again, I promise. But right now I need to do this. I hope you guys don't have to read this, because if you are, I have powers and what Slade said could be true. If you are reading this, I'll write more for you once I've escaped.

Later,

Gene

End of Journal 1

A/N: This chapter wasn't as great as my others. It was more like an informational chapter. The Titans will be in my next chapter, though. Gene's friends will be in it too. Please give a review!


	4. Chapter 4 Magical Meeting

A/N: You get the first look of the Titans in this chapter. Nothing much else to say but please review. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Cartoon Network and DC comics do.

Chapter 4

Since Rose was a slower reader than Zach, she finished reading the journal last. She put the papers down on the table with a worried sigh. She then watched Zach look at himself in the reflection of his spoon with annoyance. He looked just as confused as she was as he examined himself.

Rose cleared her throat and the teen looked up at her with wide eyes. She smiled politely at him as he put the spoon down. "What do you think about this?" Rose asked him. "I'm worried that Gene is actually kidnapped. I mean, I tried calling him at home all weekend and no one answered. I thought he was with you."

"You never cared about my opinion before," Zach muttered, "Why do you care now?"

"Stop being difficult, Zach," Rose said stubbornly. "I've never liked your attitude about life, that doesn't mean I don't listen to you. This is both our friend we are talking about. Now tell me, were you with Gene at all this weekend?"

"Every three day weekend our school gets, my family and I visit Atlanta," Zach told her. "I thought Gene would tell you this."

"The last time I saw him was right before I got on my bus to go home on Friday," Rose said in deep thought. "What about you?"

"It was early Saturday morning," Zach said with a simple shrug. "I was putting my stuff in the car for our trip and he said he was going to the…library." They both looked at each other with wide eyes of fright. The evidence was adding up. The journal they had gotten had dropped suddenly from the sky, it seemed, and now both kids hadn't seen him for days. Gene wasn't there today at school. Too many signs pointed toward the journal.

"Right after school we should go to Gene's house," Rose said with a calm nod. She got up and threw her trash away. Zach looked at himself in the spoon once more and made up his mind when she got back. He got up and grabbed her wrist before she could sit down. He snatched the journal papers off the table and started to make his way through the crowd of tables and people.

"I'm not going to waste a whole day here wondering if Gene is okay or not," Zach told Rose as he pulled her along. "We are going to his house right now."

"But that would make us skip school," Rose pointed out hesitantly. "I have perfect attendance! I can't skip!" Zach only smiled cruelly back at her, disgusted with her reason to stay in school. She was too predictable for him. He let her go half way through the small cafeteria. If she didn't want to come, he wouldn't drag her along. He skipped school all the time; it was natural and depended on his mood that day.

Rose stood in the middle of the crowd, divided inside. She hated it when kids skipped school. One thing that she didn't like in Gene was that he sometimes joined Zach when he skipped. But this time it wasn't for her selfish needs. It was for Gene.

Grumbling complaints and rude comments about Zach to herself, Rose made up her mind. She grasped her purse tighter in her slim fingers and quickly followed after Zach. She just as quietly slipped out of the loud room as he did. She ran to catch up with him in the hallway. She rushed up to his side and he looked over to her with surprise on his face. She gave him a smug smile and that was it. They would do this together.

They quickly made their way to Gene's house. Zach saw the sign on the lawn first. Rose gasped as they ran up to the sign saying "For Sale". Zach swore as the evidence kept playing out. The door was locked, so Zach helped himself to an unlocked window. Rose felt bad for breaking into the house, but curiosity was getting the best of her.

Everything was normal, though. The furniture was just how they remembered it from coming over so many times. They ran up to Gene's room and looked around. They saw that a few of his things were missing.

"No notebook," Zach pointed out emotionlessly.

"A few books from his bookcase are missing as well," Rose said with a sigh.

"I'm afraid that Gene is actually telling us the truth with this thing," Zach said while holding out Gene's journal. "We should tell the police."

The rest of the day the two teens swam in confusion and worry. When they told the police about Gene and his family, they only said that there was no such thing as a family in the area with the last name Summers. It ended up that they didn't get any other clue as to what to do till two days later. The two opposites had started to eat together at lunch everyday to talk about Gene and his journals. They were wondering if they would have to go find the Titans as well, to make sure their friend was okay.

Zach had just come back with his usual tray stacked high with food. He plopped the tray down and sat with a sigh. His mood lately was depressing because Gene was gone. Rose was the same way. The light was out of both their eyes that afternoon.

Suddenly a black hole opened up on the table in between them. Rose gave a gasp and Zach smiled brightly at the new delivery Gene's powers had given them. "I wonder how he does that," he said while shifting through the new journal that had arrived. Once Rose had gotten over her shock she smiled and begged Zach to let her read it as well. Setting the papers on the table, the two started to read the next part of Gene's startling story.

-Robin-

"Is that the fastest you can go, Beast Boy?" Robin teased the changeling seated next to him. The TV screen before them displayed their racing game. The controllers in their hands snapped and clicked as their fingers flew over the buttons and joysticks. The beeping and whirling of the game's sound effects drove the pair along.

"You haven't played this game in months, Boy Wonder," Beast Boy said back, "You're rusty. You'll never beat me!" The competitive smiles on their faces widened at their bickering. It just spurred the other to do better in the game.

"It's like riding a bike," Robin said. "Luckily I know how to ride one…and you don't."

"I know how to ride a bike," Beast Boy protested loudly.

"Then how come you crashed my motorcycle last week?" Robin asked Beast Boy with a joking smile. "If you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have to have your butt kicked today because I would be out in the city riding it. This lose of yours will be your entire fault."

"Shut up," Beast Boy said with a laugh, not being able to keep serious anymore. This only made Robin laugh as well. They then continued with the race while shouting at the computer's cars who kept messing them up, having a good time.

For once the Titans were in perfect shape. No real villain threatened their city at the time, but there were also enough robbers and petty villains to take down to keep life for the crime fighting kids from choking on boredom. Robin was finally letting himself relax and lay back. He had submerged his life into his fellow team mates lately, enjoying their company thoroughly.

Today was the same. He had challenged Beast Boy to a race on their game station. The changeling was all too happy to do something with the leader. The two boys had bonded a lot in the last few days. There used to be such a wall between them because of their extreme different personalities. But once Robin had paid more attention to him, he had seen how much fun Beast Boy could be at times.

But as the saying goes; "All good things have to come to an end." A flash of sudden bright light exploded in Robin's head. It didn't hurt that much, it was the shock that made him gasp.

He was suddenly standing on the edge of a hole in the floor. He had no idea where he was. He looked behind him and a spark of fear flew through him as he saw Slade watching him. The man's robots surrounding him. It was like his body wouldn't respond as one of the robots pushed him off the edge and into his prison below.

With a small gasp, Robin came out of his trance. He looked around with wide eyes. With a sigh of relief, he looked back up to the screen to see Beast Boy beat him in the race. The green teen whooped with joy and did a funny dance around the living room, rubbing his winning in the Boy Wonder's face.

Finally it dawned on him. "You okay, dude?" he asked, noticing that the teen wasn't protesting or demanding for a rematch like he usual would do. "You look kind of pale."

Robin got up while rubbing his forehead. "Just a sudden headache," he lied quickly. "I'm going to go find some Advil or something."

"'Kay!" Beast Boy said with a shrug. He smiled slyly while adding, "If you want to get your butt kicked again, just ask." Robin only smiled weakly back as he left the room. He could hear Beast Boy start up another game as engines roared in the big speakers behind him.

Robin decided that he needed some air, so he headed to the roof of the Tower. He skipped the elevator and jogged up the stairs, letting the physical strain on his body get his mind off his vision he just had. He arrived at the roof panting and sweaty, but also calmer than before. Exercise usually let his state of mind relax somewhat.

The boy wasn't the only one of the roof that afternoon. As he closed the door and started to walk to the edge, he spotted Raven meditating there. He hated to interrupt her, but he noticed that he had already done so. One of her violet eyes was cracked open and staring at him with some interest in it.

"Join me," she suddenly said while closing her eye.

Robin paused, hesitant to barge into her usual mind cleansing. Of course, he had seen Starfire join her often whenever Raven meditated in the living room, but it was different for him somehow. Raven caught his tentative vibe and smiled at him while opening both her eyes this time. "You saw it too, didn't you?" she asked him knowingly.

"You mean, you saw Slade, his robots, and the hole?" Robin asked her; stunned that he wasn't the only one who had gotten the vision.

Raven nodded, concern lightly touching her features. "And the three before this one," she said quietly. Robin sat down across from her, thinking deeply. He was a bit relieved to have someone else to share these odd visions with. He had, like Raven had said, three of them the other day. He had kept it to himself for the time being. He would have told someone of them if they persisted.

"Lotus position," Raven said to Robin, smiling slightly. She wiped the expression off her face and closed her eyes right with he looked up at her. Thinking he had nothing to lose, Robin crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He gave a surprised yell as Raven made him levitate in the air. "Trust me," she told him. "Close your eyes again."

Robin stared at the Goth girl in front of him. She wanted him to join her for a reason. It wasn't just for fun on her part. They were going to investigate these visions somehow with Raven's help. Calming his pounding heart, Robin closed his eyes and focused more on his breathing. He listened as Raven emotionlessly repeated her mantra.

Suddenly Robin felt himself fad away from himself. He was with Raven in her astro form. It was an entirely new feeling for him. But he wasn't scared or worried about anything as they both floated in the air, watching their bodies got smaller and smaller below them. He was unemotional and calm.

They traveled quickly across the country. Robin didn't have control of anything; his eyes were only along for the ride. Raven controlled everything with experienced precision. She stopped above a bus on the highway. She made them dive down through the bus.

Their invisible selves stopped next to a seat with a boy. The teen only looked fourteen. He was leaned against the wall of the buss and staring out the window with troubled violet eyes. A notebook was placed in his lap and he had been writing profusely in it.

Suddenly his eyes went wide and he looked their way. By this time Raven had moved them out of the bus. She quickly sped them back to the Tower and lightly dropped Robin into his body and returned to her own.

Robin opened his eyes with a gasp. He stood up and looked around, trying to get back to the feeling of his own body. That had been his first experience doing that with Raven, and it was strange to all his senses. He let out a pent up breath and looked over to Raven standing beside him. "Okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Robin said with a nod. "Who was that kid? I don't know him. Do you?"

"No," Raven said while shaking her head. "But that is the person who is giving us these visions." There was a pause as both teens thought about their encounter with the kid. "He sensed me," she finally said. "No one senses me when I'm in that form. How did he know I was there?"

"I'm just trying to get over the fact that he had your eyes," Robin muttered. "You saw that, too, right?"

"He has some kind of power, then," Raven said. "That must be why he was able to know I was there."

"Well, he's heading here," Robin said. He tapped his chin in thought. He suddenly noticed her confused look. "I saw where that bus was heading. It said Jump City. He should be here any day now. We should keep a look out for him."

"Should we tell the others this?" Raven asked him. She knew how sensitive he was when it came down to sharing personal matters with his team. She wanted to take this slow. If he didn't want to tell them, she wouldn't push it.

Robin stared out into the city, thinking deeply. Right when Raven was about to ask him this again, he said quietly, "They have a right to know. We are going to be looking for this kid when he gets here. They should know why we will be."

Raven smiled at him. He was growing up quickly.

A/N: For some reason this chapter was boring to write. Sorry if it was boring on your part as well. I'm close to completing my next chapter for this fic and I'm so excited to post that one. It is coming out extremely well! I'll post it this weekend. Please review! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5 Close Escape

A/N: This chapter has to be my favorite of what I've wrote so far. I just had so much fun writing it. But enough about me talking about how much of a joy it was. Enjoy it yourself! R&R!

Disclaimer: Me don't own.

Chapter 5

Journal 2: Part 1

Well you guys, I have good and bad news. I've always liked the good news first, so here it is. I escaped! Yay for me! I barely made it out alive, though. I'm safely on a bus heading towards Jump City, the home of the Teen Titans. The bad news, though, is that I'm afraid what Slade said is true. I sent that last journal and this one to you using my new obtained powers.

I actually have powers! Can you believe it? It is scary yet thoroughly exciting at the same time. I'm pretty basic with them, though. I know how to transport these papers to you guys, and I also know how to make these black shields. But I'm getting way ahead of myself now. I'm just so wound up with these new abilities. I'm going to go back and tell you about my escape.

First I had to send my last journal to you. I remember Slade telling me that I had teleportation powers. I was thinking of making some kind of portal. I put my journal beside me on the ground in my cell. I put my hands on the dirty surface and thought of a portal, wondering what I would have to do to trigger this power.

Nothing happened.

I sighed with frustration. I guess this emotion sparked something in me. I tiny pencil tip hole appeared on the ground then shrunk into itself where my finger was. I watched it disappear with amazement. I had done…something. I closed my eyes and focused more emotion onto the floor. It took me a few tries to finally get a big enough hole for the papers to fit in. This whole time I was focusing on you two's location. Don't ask me how I was doing that. I could just sense where you two were.

Once the hole was big enough, I quickly shoved the papers in. By this time, sweat was dripping off my forehead. This thing took so much concentration and it was wearing me out. I sat back with a satisfied smile. But that smile didn't last when I saw the video camera staring at me. Someone would be coming to visit me sometime soon.

As predicted, the door to my cell above opened. A minute hadn't even passed since my bold stunt with my new powers. I scrambled for one of the books I had found in the backpack. I pretended to have been reading. But that hope of fooling a robot was cracked when I saw that it was Slade himself who had entered the room.

Slade pressed a button on the wall, and the bars way above me opened. I jumped back with a sharp cry of surprise as handle bars came out of the wall behind me. I watched silently as Slade made his way down into my cell. I was scared that he would find the bugs under that cup in the bathroom. If he did, my escape would be pointless. My heart started to pound faster.

Finally Slade was standing in front of me. I eyed the rings behind him with interest. I was planning on climbing my way out for when I escaped. Using a ladder like that would be ten times easier than scaling the walls around me.

"What did you send and to whom?" Slade asked me while folding his arms in front of him.

"Let me get a shower, and I might think about telling you," I said. I smiled confidently, trying to hide the real fear crawling inside of me. I was walking on egg shells with this dude. Any second I could be found out.

"Tell me," Slade said sternly. He took out the controller and I froze. If he pressed any of those buttons, he would find out that I didn't have those bugs inside of me. I was going to have to obey him right now, which didn't make me any happier.

"I…" I started, trying to desperately find a good lie. "I was just testing out my powers. I don't know where my help signal went. I didn't even believe that I had powers till now." I'm such a bad liar! It was obvious that some of that was crap. I couldn't even make eye contact with him!

Slade stepped toward me so that we were only two inches from each other. My heart slammed against my chest. I bit my lower lip to keep myself from saying anything else. I didn't like him being this close to me. He was doing it to make me uneasy, and it was working.

The man lifted my chin up with a finger. The touch sent shivers down my spine. I somehow was brave enough to look the guy in the eye now. "Like it or not, Slade," I said quietly, "But that is the truth."

Suddenly the man's hand was around my neck. My whole body was slammed against the dirt wall with extreme force. My head exploded with pain. I suddenly couldn't touch the floor with my feet. It was an extremely scary feeling. I clutched Slade's hand on my throat as I stared into his face. I was scared speechless! I thought he was going to kill me!

"Just the reaction I was hoping for," Slade said emotionlessly. "You had never seen how much power I had over you till right now. I own you, boy. Get that into your head. Now…tell me what were on those papers and who you sent them to."

"I sent them to my friends," I said after a long pause. I was still scared, but the fear had died down a little in me. It was nice to know that he wasn't going to kill. "The papers were just saying help. I'm telling the truth this time! Let me go!" I struggled in his grip, but the man was like a boulder! I was just grateful he wasn't cutting off my airway. I didn't feel like getting strangled today.

"Names," Slade demanded.

"What!" I yelled. "There is no way I'm letting you hurt them! They are not in this mess! Leave them alone!" I tugged more while screaming, "Let me freaking go!"

"Not until you give me their names," Slade said.

I tried shaking my head. I didn't want you two being targeted by this madman! Slade could try scaring me all he wanted to, but this subject was one that I wouldn't give into. You two were all had. You guys knew my story. Knowing that someone else in this crazy world knew my position had kept me from going insane for those few days I had been stuck in that hole.

"You will tell me these names, boy, or I will force it out of you," Slade said to me, his voice dark. He took out the controller and held it high enough so I could see it. Now, this was a pretty big predicament. My escape was on the line, here. But of course your lives were there too. Which was more important? Of course it was you guys, but escape was pretty high on that list too. I was going to strive for both.

"No, please!" I screamed. I tried to kick him away, but every time I lifted a foot, Slade cut off my airway and I couldn't breathe. "No, please, Slade!" I pleaded. I hated to plead with this man, but it was the only thing I could think of.

Suddenly Slade let me go. I fell to the floor and landed on my hands and knees. I was surprised that he actually let me go. With confusion, I looked up at Slade. And it was in that split second that I saw it in his eye. There was compassion in it. Once again I was confused with his character. He could be so heartless with me, but then again, there was this quick glance of an emotion.

He knelled down to my height and I saw that the speck of emotion was long gone. I sighed and hung my head, wishing with all my heart that I wasn't there. I thought about crying to maybe spark some more emotion from this man, but I realized that would only make me seem too worthless. He seemed to like me more when I was strong. Weird, no?

"Because you won't get me those names, I'll just have to find these friends of yours," Slade said to me. I looked up at him and anger flashed through me. It was like back at the library when I should have ran and instead I attacked him. "And when I find them and anyone else who knows about you, I'm going to come back to take care of you, boy. You need to take responsibility for your actions. Let this be a lesson for you."

"I didn't know I was still in school," I growled back at him. I knew my sarcasm always got to him. I was trying to make this man angry like I was anyway I could. It was a stupid mindset, but it made me feel better.

Slade narrowed his eye with annoyance at me. He brushed off my comment and stood up straight. Without a word, he walked back to the ladder. With a battle yell, I suddenly picked myself up and came at Slade from behind, a book in my hand. I was aiming on smashing his head in with my makeshift weapon. Too bad it never went according to my plan.

The man was just too quick for me. He turned around sharply and grabbed the wrist with the hand holding the book in it. He forced me into a wall then, just as quickly, flung me across the room. I collided with a painful yell into my bed. I rolled off it with a moan, collapsing onto the ground with a defeated sigh. The anger was gone suddenly. I was back to my normal, seemingly pathetic self.

"Ouch!" I muttered. I watched silently as Slade climbed up the ladder. I stayed on my back in the middle of my prison as Slade activated the bars again. He stared down at me for a second before leaving. The second the door closed behind him, I was on my feet smiling at my good fortune. I was worried about you guys, but I couldn't send you another note. It would take up too much of my energy and time.

This was the best time to escape, though! Slade wouldn't expect it of me at the moment. My smile widened as I grabbed my book again and threw it up at the camera looking at me. I missed the first time I threw it, but the second try I was dead on. Sparks flew up from the machine as the lens broke, sprinkling glass onto the floor. I guess that I only had five to ten minutes till anyone came back to my cell.

I stuffed everything I needed into my backpack in a hurry and put it on. My whole seventh grade summer camp experience came rushing back as I examined the rocky walls surrounding me. Remember, Zach, when we strayed off the main track at camp that one day and spent the whole afternoon climbing rocks on the mountain? They had to send out a whole climbing crew to find us. This would be easy!

I quickly scaled the walls of my prison. It was very tiring because I had to keep a fast pace. My fingers were bloody from clinging onto tiny handholds. My arms were shaking from the strain as I lifted my body higher and higher. I tried not to sweat because that would make me slip, but by the time I was at the top, my body was ready to quit.

With a small cry, I latched onto a metal bar above me. I then lifted the rest of my body up and let myself rest for a few seconds. I realized my job was made easier than I had predicted. I had been planning on throwing some books at the buttons on the wall to open the bars, but whoever made them didn't plan for a kid my size to be there. I could slip right through the bars!

After a few seconds of wiggling and twisting, I managed to barely get through. I had to stop to catch my breath again. I should have done some kind of workout in my cell for those three days, because I felt out of shape. I stood up and headed for the door to my cell. I stopped and turned back around as a thought hit me. I pressed the blue button on the far wall and quickly grabbed my folder and shoved it into my backpack. Now I was ready to leave.

The door opened for me as I got near, like the ones at the grocery store. It was pretty sweet. I remember wanting swishing doors at the time. The thought didn't last long as I quietly snuck into the dark hallway. There were only two options. Should I go left or right? I swore quietly to myself as I realized that I had never planned this. Actually, I never thought I would make it past the bars in time. Everything from this moment would have to be improvised.

I heard that most people choose to go right when they have to pick between the two directions. Well, I choose to be different and turned left. I started to jog down the dimly lit hallway, hoping that none of Slade's evil robots came across my path. I turned a few corners, passing many doors, and left the metal hallway and got into a dirt pathway. I was definitely underground.

I suddenly gasped loudly as a loud buzzing sound blasted rudely into my ears. My hallway was suddenly bathed in a red light. It dawned on me that this call was for me! It was time to kick my escape into high gear. I took off in a sprint down the hallway.

With another gasp, I skidded to a stop when I turned another corner. Four robots were stationed at some stairs heading to someplace I couldn't see. I guessed that stairway lead to my freedom and that was why they were guarding it now. But they had already seen me and I couldn't just run back the way I had came. I would have to fight my way through.

Two of the robots advanced toward me. I ducked a punch from one and kicked him in his midsection. It backed into its friend and slammed into the wall. Just a little more force was all that I needed to take these guys down. With this new information, I actually enjoyed myself as I kicked the machines' butts.

I used my rugby tackling skills as I rammed one of the robots into the wall with my shoulder. As soon as the armor was dented, I jammed my hand through the crack and pulled out a wad of colorful wires. The thing slummed to the ground while sparking in that area.

A few well placed and hard roundhouse kicks brought another robot to sparking bits like its friend. I yanked off the thing's arm and advanced toward the other two robots with a battle yell. I was having a blast at the moment! I never knew kicking these guys' butts could be so much fun!

I swiftly avoided a punch and a kick from the robots by duck rolling forward. I stood up and swung my body around at the same time. I used the robot hand as a bat and managed to whack a robot right in the face. I finished it off with a hard kick to its chest.

I was now open to the other robot and wasn't fast enough to block his attack. The thing grabbed my shoulders and rammed me into a wall. I winced as stars danced across my vision as my head slammed against the wall. I forgot how strong these things could be. At least they weren't Slade, I was grateful for that. I would get my butt whipped if I ever had to really go against him.

"Get off me!" I muttered at the robot who had pinned me against the wall. With a frustrated grunt, I lifted my feet up and rested them against the robot's shoulders. I smiled as I pushed off its shoulders and sent it into the other wall. I then rammed my shoulder into its face.

With a worn out sigh, I watched the robot fall down to join its friends on the floor before me. My spiked adrenaline was slowly starting to wear off, and my body was telling me that I desperately needed a break. I quickly looked myself over. I only had a few scratches. Big bruises were starting to form on my shoulder from ramming the robots so roughly into the wall.

I was just heading up the stairs when I heard someone running from behind me. I turned slightly to see if it was another robot. "Oh…crap!" I said as my worst fear stood there. My adrenaline was slammed back up as I took the steps two at a time. Slade followed right behind me.

At the top of the steps was an elevator. It was the kind you saw on construction sites. I ran into the thing and spun around, quickly grabbing the metal doors and slamming them shut. Slade smashed into the chain like door, and to my horror, started to slowly open the locked doors.

"No!" I cried, desperate for my freedom. I punched the up button on the side franticly. I came back and tried to keep the doors closed by pressing the slide doors together with all my strength. I didn't know what I would do if Slade somehow got in. I think I would actually cry. I was that desperate for independence from this man.

"Why isn't this cursed thing moving!" I screamed at myself. Sweat pored down my forehead and I could see it drop onto the floor of the elevator. My arms burned from using all my strength to keep the doors shut. I stared at Slade through the chains. He only stared silently back at me emotionlessly.

This ignited more emotion in me. I had come so far! I couldn't loose now! I most likely wouldn't get this kind of chance of escape for months if I was captured now. It got worse as Slade started to open the door. I panicked at the sight of this.

"No!" I cried again as Slade lunged for me with an outstretched hand. Suddenly a small round black kind of force field formed in front of me. Slade's hand smashed full force into it. He gave a sharp cry of pain and retracted his hand. The automatic doors closed quickly, and I dived for the up button again.

I hadn't been forceful enough with the button the first time. This time I punched it good and hard. The old elevator lurched upward. I fell to the floor of the elevator as the thing suddenly took off at a quick speed. I watched with relief as Slade was replaced by rock wall. It didn't take long for me to get to the surface.

The doors opened for me once the machine stopped. I didn't want to stick around this place, so I ran out of the elevator and saw that I was in an abandoned construction site. I paused to look around for a second. I was in some kind of city. It would be easy for me to find a phone and call the police for help.

I ran into the city, on the brink of passing out from exhaustion. I was covered with dirt from living in a hole in the ground for three days and also from being smashed into the dirt walls a few times. I hadn't showered in forever it seemed. I stunk of vomit and sweat. I got quite a lot of stares from the city folk. I didn't blame them. I would have stared too.

After a few minutes of walking around, I went into a coffee shop. A bell jingled above my head as I pushed the glass door open. Some people looked up and had to do a double take when they saw me. I tried to smile, but I was too worn out.

"I need a phone," I told the cash register lady. "It's really urgent!"

She looked at me with a bored expression on her face. "There are pay phones outside a few blocks away," she finally told me. "Who do you need to call, kid?" she asked with a crude smile, "Your mom?"

Sometimes people make me so mad! I wanted to do to her what I did to Slade's robots just a few minutes ago. I had told her the call was urgent and she had totally blown me off! I couldn't believe what was going on. I didn't even have a quarter to work the machine anyways.

"No," I answered with patience running low at this point. "I need the police."

She stared at me for a second. "Fine," she finally said. "Make it quick, kid." She handed me her cell phone and asked evilly, "You do know the number for 911, right?"

"Funny," I told her with a snarl. I rolled my eyes at her stupid actions. I punched in the number and waited for someone to pick up. At last I got some kind people to talk to. I quickly explained my situation to the police. They told me to stay at the coffee shop while they checked the site out. They said they would be there soon to pick me up and ask me questions.

After my conversation with the police, I gave the phone back to the rude lady and sat down at a booth. I had gone through enough excitement that day for me to handle. I was too afraid to sleep, though. I was still on the edge of my nerves even though things seemed okay.

To occupy myself, I took out my Mockingbird folder I had stolen from Slade. I looked it over with mild interest. I noted that the two Titans I had been cloned after were called Robin and Raven. Both their pictures were there. I looked like a child from them, with combined features of both superheroes. I felt it disturbing somehow. I also saw that the Titans lived in Jump City, which is in New York. I knew where I was heading.

I started to read further, my interest rising. My muscles started to finally relax. My body was able to unwind. It felt good to just sit down and read. The stuff I was reading was all about my past and how I progressed in my younger years as a clone. It was very interesting for me, but boring as heck for you guys.

"Enjoying yourself, boy?" a voice suddenly said to me. I froze in fear and shock. The speaker sat across from me in the booth. I looked up and my face paled. It was Slade!

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I love cliffhangers!


	6. Chapter 6 I Got a Jar of Dirt!

A/N: Ready for more? That last cliffhanger was pure evilness, I know. We will continue right where we left off. Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Teen Titan character.

Chapter 6

Journal 2: Part 2

I couldn't believe my eyes as I stared at Slade across from me in the booth. I thought I was free from this man once I got out of that cell. But I was clearly wrong because here he was, sitting across from me in civilian clothes and smiling smugly at me.

I had lost. I had played all my cards in my hand, but I still wasn't able to win! It was totally depressing on my part. I've always been that extremely competitive guy. In sports I did everything in my power to win. Loosing was never a thought till now.

"The police will be here any minute now," I told Slade, trying to make him back off. I knew it would be pointless to say this to him, but I was trying to do anything.

"So you did call the police," Slade said with a nod. I felt something touch my knee and I jumped slightly. I looked under the table and saw that Slade was holding a gun to my knee. Once again, he wasn't aiming to kill me. He would hurt me, though, if I didn't do what he said. He would blow off my whole kneecap if I did anything wrong! I didn't feel like becoming a disabled person, so I said nothing and stared at Slade. He was calling the shots now.

Defeat settled down on me suddenly. I had made it so far. I had tasted sweet freedom, and now it had been yanked right out from under me. I guess that is why I couldn't keep from crying now. I put my head down on the table, tears threatening to escape my eyes.

"I'm actually quite proud of you," Slade told me after a long pause. I looked up at him with a frown of confusion. "You escaped your cell in less than ten minutes, stole my folder on you, disabled four of my robots, were able to fight back when I came after you, called the police right away, and even before all this you had my tracking bugs out of your system. I wouldn't have thought you could do it."

I sniffed and wiped a tear away with the back of my hand. My pity party was over now. I never liked crying, and I hated saying that I did to you guys. I stayed silent, thinking about what Slade had just said. It was confusing. You would think that he would get madder than hornet if I tried to escape, yet he was praising the whole thing.

"We better leave," Slade finally said after a long sigh. I let him take the folder away from me. He got up and waited for me stand. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed deeply. "Don't try anything," he whispered sharply down at me as he grabbed my shoulder and guided me out of the store. The fresh sent of coffee vanished as we walked into the busy city. The jingle above us indicated my exit, but no one bothered to watch me leave with the stranger.

It was now that I realized I still had a chance of escape. I had forgotten that I had powers. It was such a stupid thing to forget, but if you had just obtained them that day, it's hard to revert to having a superhero way of thinking. I wanted to use one of those shields I made back in the elevator. Now all I had to do was sum up enough emotion to trigger my powers. That would be easy with Slade around.

I paused in my thinking. Was I really ready to pull another extreme escape stunt in the shape I was in? I narrowed my eyes and threw the question out of my head. I was going to escape or die trying! I didn't want to go back to my cell and wait for another chance like this. Heck, I didn't want to be standing next to Slade at the moment. Man, if this was a war, I'd be on the front line!

I suddenly stopped walking on the sidewalk and pulled away from Slade. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" I told him. He raised his gun to shoot at me, and at the same time I crossed my arms in front of me, as if to block an attack. "Stop!" I yelled, pouring out all my pent up emotion. A black force field appeared just as he pulled the trigger.

Everyone on the sidewalk was now staring at me with wide eyes. They had all seen me use my powers just then. They all thought I was some superhero freak. I didn't stick around for too long. Just as quickly as I used my power, I was sprinting down the sidewalk. Slade didn't waste time recovering and ran after me.

I turned the corner where the coffee shop was and ran down a hill that led to a movie theater's parking lot. I couldn't do a U-turn because that would just put me back into Slade's hands. So I kept running. The parking lot wasn't all that full and only a few people were actually there, catching a morning movie. This wasn't good on my part.

I gave an alarmed yell as I heard a silenced bullet bounced off the pavement an inch away from my feet. I ran past a car and winced as the windshield smashed into a million pieces from another bullet. Glass bounced off the hood of the car and cut into my arm. I ignored the slight sting and kept running past the cars, using them as my cover from Slade.

I could barely see anything that morning because the sun was shining way overhead and reflected off all the cars and into my eyes. Maybe that is why I didn't see Slade come to the side of me. We were only a car width away as he shot me in the leg. I got lucky and the bullet didn't go into my skin and only grazed the back of my left thigh.

But the pain of the shot was just as bad. I went down with a yell. The pavement was burning hot from being under the sun for so many hours. I gave another yell of pain as the course pavement scratched and burned any exposed skin that touched it as I fell. I'm sure my adrenaline was warring off most of the pain of my leg, but it still hurt like hell. Man! I still remember the hurt now and wince at the thought. I don't know how I pulled through after that.

I remember thinking about giving up. I was then disgusted with myself for the thought. I was no quitter, especially now! I crawled on my hands and knees around a car as Slade ran over to the spot I once was. Camp with you, Zach, was paying off once again as I remembered what to do with deep cuts and gashes from the counselors. I ripped off both my sleeves and tied them together and then around my thigh to stop the bleeding.

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from crying out as my whole thigh throbbed. I could hear Slade walk around the area I once was, searching for any sign of where I had gone to. To keep myself from going insane with the pain, I had to keep repeating to myself that I was okay in my head. I forced myself to block out the pain. Trust me, this was hard to do!

With a renewed determination burning in my eyes, I glanced over to the theater a few yards away from where I was sitting. If I could make it into the building, I knew I could hide somewhere and buy myself some valuable time. But at the moment I had no clue where Slade was. He was waiting patiently for me to make the next move.

I got on my hands and knees and started to crawl toward the building. "Jeez!" I yelled while ducking back behind the car. As soon as I had moved Slade had started to shoot repeatedly at me. I put my arms over my head as bullets ripped past me, barely missing. A rush of air blew into my shoulder as the tire I was hiding behind got shot.

Slade stopped shooting and waited for me to move again. Dogs stuck in cars were barking up a storm at the loud noise. The people who had been outside the building were screaming or crying behind their own cover of cars. I needed a distraction if I wanted to get past Slade now.

Suddenly I heard police sirens. As soon as the loud sound echoed into my ears, I took off. Slade shot at me once, but then stood up and ran after me. He didn't think I would bolt at the sound of the police. I kept low and headed for the theater doors. I swung a door wide open, welcomed the blast of cold AC air, and ran in, running to the back where people demanded for your ticket. I ran right past those people and down a hallway. They yelled frantically after me.

I dove into a theater that was playing Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in it. I had seen the movie the day it came out and enjoyed it thoroughly. Pirates rock! Today was an entirely a different story. I didn't care what happened to Captain Jack Sparrow. I was there to hide from a madman. And the cover a half crowded and totally dark theatre would be perfect hiding spot.

I slipped into a seat in the first row, smiling at the kid who had most likely had skipped school beside me. He gave me a confused look as I grabbed a handful of his popcorn and stuffed it into my mouth. I didn't dare look back to the exit, afraid Slade would see me that way.

As the kid beside me was forced to look back at the screen in front of him, I easily pit pocketed the dude. The art of pit pocketing is fairly simple. It was you, Zach, who taught me to do so. All you have to do is distract your target, which in this case was the wonderful movie playing. While their focus is on the distraction, they aren't concentrating on a wallet or purse. This guy's wallet was in his side jean pocket and easy to steal.

Yes, I felt bad for stealing this teen's money, but I desperately needed it. I didn't steal it just for the heck of it. I knew what I needed, and some extra cash was a main part of that plan forming in my head. I know Zach doesn't care if I pit pocketed. It's you, Rose, that I wanted to explain my motives to. Sorry.

I looked up at the movie and smiled. A funny part was coming up, from what I could remember of the movie. Just as the lines "I got a jar of dirt!" sprung from Jack's mouth, I was out of my seat and heading for the door. The laughter of the captive audience covered my footsteps as I sprinted. I didn't even look back to see if Slade was behind me.

I didn't go back the way I had came in. I was sure police would be swarming the place. They were a bit late to helping me with my Slade problem. They would only be a nuisance now. I didn't want to get caught up in all their questioning and crap. I felt better off alone. To avoid the crowd, I slipped out a back way that was to prevent too much crowding in the entrance area when a movie had ended.

My escape still wasn't complete. I kept running once I got out of the building. I snuck past a few police officers standing by their cars in the parking lot. They were too busy eating doughnuts. The sight was just too funny. I actually smiled while spotting them.

That smile didn't leave as I spotted a bus stop a block away from the theater parking lot. I looked over my shoulder and kicked my run into a sprint again. Slade had caught up with me. I was completely out of breath and gasping for air when I got to the bus stop. I quickly boarded the bus and used my pit pocketed money to pay for my way. I guess I was the last passenger, because as soon as I sat down, the bus started forward.

I looked out the window and jumped with surprise to see Slade there staring up at me. I smiled victoriously down at Slade and stuck out my tongue. Yeah, I know, very mature. He only casually put his hands in his pockets and smiled smugly back. I didn't let him spoil my joy and waved back at him as the bus moved away.

I finally collapsed into my chair with a sigh. I put the wallet in my back pocket and waited on high alert till the next bus stop. I went forward and asked the driver where I could find a bus heading for Jump City. After that, it was only a few hours till I was on the bus I wanted. It was half full and I settled into my seat, soaking in the freedom.

Right now I'm only an hour away from Jump City. I've been living off of vending machine food for a whole day and a half. It's not very healthy, but it is cheaper than the rest stop's restaurants. So for all that time I've written this journal to you guys and talked to the other passengers about the Titans. They all seemed to know more about them than I did.

One little kid was a big fan of theirs and had all this useless information. I talked with the little dude for two full hours about the team. I found out that my powers are Raven's. She has so much control and experience over her powers, that maybe by age 50 I could be just as great as her. From this kid I've learned that she can create portals, levitate cars, and form bus sized force fields by only speaking her mantra. Yeah, it's really put a dent in my pride. I really thought I was great with my powers. But maybe the mantra will help me in the future.

Well, that has been my life so far. One last thing before I send this journal to you. Slade is somewhere out there and he has the power to find you. Keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual, okay? I don't want you two somehow getting into this. No one should get hurt because of me. I'll write to you after I meet the Titans.

Gene.

End of Journal 2

The bell rang suddenly. Zach had finally finished the journal. They hadn't finished it at lunch and Zach had taken it to his next class. He had promised to not read it until him and Rose was together, but of course that promise didn't last long and he had read it anyways.

The teen sighed as he thought back to what Gene had written. Even though his friend didn't want him to get involved, Zach sure wanted to. The town Zach lived in was boring as watching paint dry. Atlanta had a little excitement here and there like every big city. But this new town's biggest thrill had to be when an old lady's knitting circle was broken up because their leader had died of old age and they just couldn't go on without her guidance. It wasn't the most stimulating thing for Zach, but he sure did get a laugh out of it.

Walking into the bathroom, Zach wished he could help Gene somehow. He wanted to be in on the action. He hated to be just sitting around, waiting for another message from his best friend who was running around America on the run from a madman.

Be careful what you wish for.

As soon as the door to the bathroom closed behind him, Zach knew he was in trouble. Slade stood before him with his one eye narrowed in slight annoyance of something. One of his robots stood next to him with Rose in its arms and covering her mouth so she couldn't shout for help. Two more of his robots were now behind Zach. He was surrounded.

"How did you find us and get in here?" Zach asked Slade as soon as he realized his bad situation.

Slade ignored both questions and held out a hand, saying, "Give me Gene's latest journal."

"No," Zach said bluntly.

"I'll let you two go peacefully if you just give me his last journal," Slade said.

"Yeah right," Zach said sarcastically. "I've read what you did to Gene. I'm not trusting you. Go jump in a lake, freak."

"At least tell me where your little friend is heading," Slade said. "I'm not here to hurt you or the girl."

"What are you going to do if I don't give it to you?" Zach asked him.

"Grab him," Slade told his robots. The things grabbed the boy by his arms. Zach tried to get loose, but Gene hadn't been lying when he said the things were strong. His struggles weren't getting him anywhere. Slade simply walked up to him and grabbed the journal out of his pocket. He flipped through a few pages and then smiled under his mask. "Just where I predicted," he said to himself.

"Hey! You stay away from him!" Zach yelled at Slade loudly. "He's not some toy you can play and trade with! Gene is a person, you hear me?"

"Yes, Gene is a person, but I made him," Slade told Zach smugly. His spirits had risen since now he knew Gene wasn't out of his reach. "That makes the boy mine." Zach and Rose glared at Slade with anger burning in their eyes. "Let them go," Slade told his robots with a wave of his hand. He let the pieces of the journal flitter lazily to the bathroom floor.

Right as the two were released, the fire alarm went off. The loud piercing sound blasted into their ears and made all of them look up with surprise. Before Zach or Rose could get their heads on straight, Slade told them seriously, "If you want to help your friend any way you can, don't tell anyone about him. The government won't be as kind to him as I am."

"The government?" Rose asked as she snatched up the papers on the floor carefully. "What would they want with Gene? They couldn't use him for anything except for his powers, but he can barely use them. They couldn't find out how you cloned him."

"They could if they searched hard enough with the boy's DNA," Slade told her emotionlessly.

"Wait, you're keeping him locked up so the government can't get to him?" Zach asked.

"In a way, yes," Slade said after a second of thought.

"Well, that doesn't sound very evil," Zach stated. Slade rolled his eye and started to walk toward the door of the bathroom. He was done with the conversation. But Zach wasn't done with him. "Wait!" he called after Slade. Even though every nerve in the man's body told him to keep going, he stopped anyways. He turned around and glared at the kid.

"Rose and I are coming with you to Jump City," he told Slade.

"Zach!" Rose yelled at him, "We just can't go hitch a ride with him. Plus he has no use for us. Why would he want two kids tagging along with him? Plus, aren't we against him!"

"Well, I'm going," Zach retorted. "I know what I'm doing, Rose."

"No you're not!" Rose stated, disgusted with the idea of going off with the madman.

"You both can come," Slade said.

A/N: Things are going to get complicated now. But please review. I'm running kind of low on the review part but high on the hits. It makes me kind of sad and doesn't motivate me to write more. But I'm in love with this fic to stop writing it. So reviews or not, I'm finishing what I've started. But it would be better if more people did review. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7 Brilliant Math Whiz

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Teen Titan characters.

Chapter 7

The blood in Rose's face drained as Slade told them they could come with him. She saw Zach's face light up with joy and bounce to his feet. She didn't want to go with the madman but Zach was thrilled for some reason. She gripped her boyfriend's journal in her hand and bit her lower lip. She had no choice but to follow the two.

Kids flooded the hallways once she got out of the bathroom. It took her a second to find Zach and Slade again. She ran to catch up with them. She slowed down once she was at Zach's side. He flashed her an addictive smile. She tried to return it with a smile of her own, but she was feeling too worried to express any fake emotions.

"We'll be fine," Zach whispered to her. "We'll see Gene in less than 24 hours with Slade taking us to Jump City."

"I don't trust him, Zach," Rose whispered back. The boy frowned down at her but let her continue. "He might be trying to keep Gene safe and away from the government, but I don't like his methods. Gene was miserable in his cell, you remember reading that. This man is evil, Zach, we shouldn't go anywhere with him. What if he turns on us and uses us as leverage to get Gene to submit to him?"

"So what are we going to do?" Zach asked her, "Stay here and let Slade get to Gene without doing anything to stop him? Face it, Rose; the fastest way to get to Jump City and to Gene is with this man. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit around and do nothing anymore. I'm getting involved."

"You're using Slade more than just a way of transportation," Rose stated bluntly.

"So what am I doing, Rose?" Zach asked her with an evil smirk. "You tell me."

Rose growled with frustration. She couldn't answer his question. "I'm going with you," Rose finally told him, "But only to get to Gene. This is foolish, though. If something goes wrong I won't hesitate to say I told you so."

"Don't worry," Zach said with a grin. "I know what I'm doing."

"Don't remind me," Rose muttered. She was done hiding her emotions from him. If she felt angry or disgusted with Zach now, it would be shown.

The bright afternoon sun blasted into their eyes once the trio got outside the building. Slade suddenly stopped and the two teens quickly put on the brakes behind him. The man closed his eye and tried to listen for something other than the annoying sound of the fire alarm and the sweet melody of the few birds flittering around lazily that spring afternoon.

"Run," Slade suddenly said in barely a whisper. Right after this, the man took off in a sprint. Zach and Rose exchanged quick glances before running after Slade as quickly as they could. They sprinted through the football field and headed for the cornfield beyond the track and field area. The two teens found themselves gasping for air to keep up with Slade.

Right as the three had gotten past the football field, the trouble started. The sound of a low flying airplane buzzed through the air a little ways from them. The fire alarm hadn't been some stupid joke. It was meant to get Slade out of the building. The government was right now the man's tail this time.

Slade didn't pause as a blast of bullets from the military flight plane bombed the ground next to his feet. Dirt and grass sprung into the air and rained down on the two kids behind him.

"Still know what you are doing?" Rose yelled at Zach, dodging dirt and debris as it fell around her.

"Just move!" Zach yelled back at her. They both had a look of panic in their eyes as they kept running after Slade. The track and field area came up and they had to jump the chain link fence surrounding it. Slade easily made it over. With the right speed and momentum, Rose managed to jump the gate. She stopped once she was over and saw that Zach was having trouble with the obstacle. Slade didn't wait up and kept running.

"Thank me later," Rose said to Zach. She jumped back over and put her hands together to boost him up. He nodded his small thanks and let her help him over. She then jumped back over and they both sprinted again toward Slade and the corn field. They did the same thing to the other gate and followed Slade into the maze of corn with some hesitation. Another round of bullet fire had convinced them to move on.

They ran blindly through the forest of corn stalks till they found Slade again. He was already starting up the small helicopter he had hidden. The air rushed around the two's heads as the blades propelled above. Rose's long black hair flew around wildly as she stared at the flying machine, once again divided inside.

"We might want to hurry, Rose!" Zach shouted to her above the whirl of the blades. He flung the passenger door open and helped Rose in. There were just enough seats for the two. Rose got the one in the back while Zach sat next to Slade. They both struggled with their seatbelts, hands slightly shaking with apprehension. Once they were safely strapped in, Slade handed them some big headphones to block out most of the noise.

Rose's stomach twisted as the helicopter rose steadily into the air. Both of the teens squeezed onto their straps for reassurance. Soon they were flying away from the school, the ground becoming like an ant farm below them. It took a few minutes for the teens to finally calm down and relax.

"Where did you learn to jump a fence like that?" Zach's voice came through Rose's headphones. He turned around in his seat and smiled brightly at her.

"My parents made me take gymnastics till 6th grade," Rose answered. "I hated it, but at least it was good for something."

"Hell, yeah!" Zach said with a laugh.

The rest of the ride was mostly quiet after that. Slade wasn't the best conversationalist. He looked annoyed for most of the ride even though the two weren't doing anything to bother him. All their minds drifted to their own thoughts as the hours dragged on. They only had to stop for fuel once. The trip to Jump City took a whole day. By the time they got to their destination, the two kids were cramped and in sour moods. They just wanted to see Gene at this point.

-The Hive Five Hideout-

A long string of muttered curses sounded in the smashed up hallway to the Hive Five's Hideout, which wasn't five anymore. See-More had left shortly after Jinx had turned on them. He had gone onto being a thief in some other city for his own reasons. The guys still on the team had guessed it was because he had secretly had a crush on Jinx. After she left to be with Kid Flash, why would he want to stay?

Gizmo finally ended his curses with a disappointed sigh. He rested his broom against the wall and eyed his big pile of rubble. It would take them weeks to fix their layer back up. The new leader to the villainous team was just thankful the Titans had only destroyed one level to their hideout.

Suddenly the locked door that was the main entrance to the hideout slid open smoothly. Gizmo looked up with his eyes going wide in both surprise and fright. "Crud!" he cursed to himself as he saw Slade standing there with two teens behind him.

Before Slade or Gizmo could say anything to each other, the speakers suddenly turned on above them and the loud voice of Billy Numerous yelled into it, "He ain't kidding this time, Gizmo. Kid Wicked is leaving." There was a pause until Billy added quickly, "Could you stop him?"

Gizmo looked back to Slade and gave him a fake innocent smile. Slade narrowed his eye dangerously on the kid and started to walk down the hallway. The two teens followed close behind him. They looked around the place with worried expressions. The walls were all covered with soot and burn marks. Ceiling pieces had caved in, and the carpet was singed. It seemed like the place had undergone a battle, which was exactly what had happened.

Slade entered the main room and stopped to look around. He folded his arms in front of him. It was clear he was angry inside from his body language. Rose and Zach backed off from the man, afraid he would explode or something. They had guessed that this was the place that Gene would be. Just from looking around, Gene was nowhere to be seen.

"I can explain, Slade!" Gizmo said as he burst out of the hallway they used to be in. "We got the kid easily, you saw him, but just an hour ago the Titans showed up here. They surprised us and there was a fight. They took off with the kid. We had no chance against them!"

"Come on, Kid Wicked!" Billy pleaded as he, Mammoth, and Kid Wicked entered the room from another hallway. "Just stay with us for another week!" Kid Wicked shook his head silently with disgust and annoyance. He would have been yelling at Billy for his stupidity, but the dark villain was mute. Usually he told others what he was feeling by his expressions. Right now it was clear he was pissed.

Billy stopped in his tracks when he saw Slade. Kid Wicked only glanced at the other villain with little surprise coming to his face. He passed Slade and headed toward the hallway they had just come from. Slade's one eye watched as the kid stopped once he got there because four of Slade's robots blocked his path. He spun around and shot Slade a deadly glare.

"Wait, what is this?" Gizmo asked loudly as more robots showed up and stood at the doorways. The Hive Five got into their own fighting stances instinctively. They all eyed the robots surrounding them with weary expressions on their faces. From the scars and bruises already on their bodies, it was clear that they had already gone through a beating.

"No one is leaving till the boy is in my custody," Slade finally said. His gaze swept over every one of the Hive Five members with distaste. "You four will get me what I asked. Even if you like it or not," he added once his eye landed on Kid Wicked. The teen folded his arms in front of him with a scowl, but he was smart enough not to protest against Slade.

Suddenly something fell onto Rose's shoulder, and she gave a short scream of surprise. Everyone looked her way to see what the problem was. She blushed slightly from having every eye in the room on her. Zach picked the thing that had hit her off the floor and smiled.

"Delivery," Zach said as he held up the journal from Gene.

Journal 3: Part 1

Whew! The last 24 hours has been a whirlwind for me. So much has happened since I sent you my last journal. Again, I'm getting too far ahead. I should just tell you the story and stop blabbering on and on.

Things started to change as I finally got to Jump City. I stepped out of the bus and onto the dirty sidewalk with my head tilted upward and a smile on my face. I had never been to a big city. I went to Philadelphia in 7th grade for a field trip, but I wasn't able to really see the city when we went. It was like walking into a new world for me. It was way better than Amish buggies and corn fields.

Everyone had a place to be. The mass of people on the sidewalks walked briskly to their own destinations. The cars on the street sped by, pushing gusts of wind into my face. The smell of it was also new. It was like that small city back where Slade's hideout was, but five times stronger. It wasn't my favorite fragrance, but anything is better the smell of fresh pig poop spread out on a field.

I quickly got my head together and searched for any sight of Titans Tower through the collection of sky scrappers soaring above me. It didn't take me long to spot it. With a smile, I headed in that direction. I should have gotten on another bus to get there, but I wanted to see the city more. I had no idea how foolish that decision was till after I walked a few blocks.

The first hint that my decision was stupid was when my hurt leg started to give me grief. I had cleaned the wound and stitched it up at a rest stop the other day, but it still hurt if I walked too much. I ignored the small injury with a sigh of annoyance. I mentally told myself to get Slade back for shooting me.

After a few more blocks, the pain was greater, but I was too much in thought to be bothered by it. I was wondering what I was going to do once I got to the Tower. I couldn't just ring the doorbell and introduce myself as Robin and Raven's clone. They might have gotten a laugh out of it if I did that, but I wouldn't be taken very seriously, which I really wanted. It suddenly dawned on me that they must have no clue that they had been cloned. How was I going to convince them they were?

I didn't get too far with answering that question.

Something suddenly jumped down in front of me. I gave a short yell of shock and surprise as I stepped back. That something was really a someone. I stared up at the little kid with confusion. He was attached to four spider-like metal legs that made him loom over me by at least four feet. The sidewalk and street that the legs had impacted was dented. An evil grin was planted on his face as he stared back down at me.

It didn't take long for me to figure that this guy had been sent by Slade to get me. Why else was I singled out in this whole city by this kid with metal legs? The only reason why I was confused was why Slade wasn't there to do the job. I didn't care about that as I spun around and ran the opposite way.

I slammed into someone who had come up behind me. Stars blasted around my vision as my body collided roughly into his. I landed on my butt on the sidewalk with a wince. I looked up at the person who I had rammed into. The guy was a beast! Everything about him was big, but not fat big. He was just covered with muscles…and hair. So yeah, when I say beast I really mean it.

A loud scream shook me out of my stare. I quickly glanced around to see people running away from me and the other two standing around me. The curious ones took cover behind cars and poked their heads up to see what was going on. But no one looked too scared. They knew their teen superheroes would show up sometime soon. I hoped they came too, because my situation was quickly starting to look grim.

"You two working for Slade?" I asked the kid and giant while still sitting on my butt.

"Yeah!" the giant said with a wicked smile. "And boy is he paying a lot to make us kidnap you!"

"Shut up, you stupid crud muffin!" the kid yelled at the giant. He shook his tiny fist in the air while saying, "He's paying us to keep our mouths shut, too. Don't talk to him!"

"Sorry," the giant said with genuine regret on his face.

That was my time to flee. I picked myself up and ran into the deserted street. I realized the two weren't following me all too late, and once again I ran head long into another one of their members. The dude laughed as I landed back on my butt. I was sick of being so easily pushed around.

The next guy was clad in all red with a division sign on his chest. He wore an easy going smile on his face as he looked down at me with his hands on his hips. His stance was like a pretend macho look. He looked more goofy than manly to me. In other circumstances I would have laughed.

"Hey, Billy, do you think I scared him?" the guy said in a southern accent to someone behind me.

"Holly crap!" I shouted once I saw the person he was talking to. It was the same guy! My reaction only made the three, I mean four, laugh. I frowned when I realized I was now their amusement. Out of anger, I kicked one of division guy's legs to make him fall forward. I then kneed him in the forehead and got a cry of pain out of him. "Funny now?" I asked him.

"He knocked Billy out!" the giant said to the kid with surprise. I quickly got back up and continued to run away. I was kind of shocked with myself. I didn't mean to really knock the guy out and hurt him that bad, but at least it gave me time to get away.

"Get him!" the kid yelled from behind.

Two seconds later, a black portal opened in front of me and I had no time to stop. I tripped into it with a yell of fright. Darkness enveloped me as I spun in an endless void. Suddenly I saw a pure white opening and fell into it. The bright world reappeared around me as soon as my whole body passed through the opening. For a second I was suspended in the air. I then fell.

I landed on the sidewalk on my back. I moaned as pain flooded through me for a second or two. I stared into the clear blue sky and tried to put my mind and body back together. Man, that fall hurt!

"Is he dead?" the giant asked as three heads leaned over and into my line of vision. The new face only glared at the giant for his stupid question. The kid still had his wicked grin planted on his face as he looked down at me.

"How many of you guys are there?" I asked with a groan.

"You have now met all the members of the Hive Five," the kid said with an annoying laugh.

"You guys aren't really great at math, are you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Two of our members quit," the giant stated. The other two glared at him.

This time I actually laughed. This guy was just too stupid to not to. "Keep counting, big guy," I chuckled.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Yeah, I know Kid Wicked is spelled differently, but it is easier to type the way I spell it. The Titans come back in the next chapter, and so will my attempt at some romance. But I actually think I'm getting better at that genre slowly but surely. I'm sure the next chapter will be up next weekend. I've already started on it. Please review! Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8 Black Quick Sand

A/N: This chapter is a bit on the long side, but I think it will be worth it. You see more of the Titans, mainly Robin and Raven at the end of this chapter. Hope you like it! Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own much in this fic. Any Teen Titan character is not mine.

Chapter 8

Journal 3: Part 2

_Continuation…_

As the other two members of the Hive Five team were glaring at the stupid giant, I took that as my hint to get out of there. My brain and body protested against me as I shot to my feet. I ran under the kid's spider legs while hearing his loud protests.

"Whoa!" I cried as one of the legs slammed down in front of me, inches away from splitting my skull in half. I took a step backwards, trying to shack off the shock. This would have to go down like that fight back in that hallway with Slade's robots. With any luck, I would win like last time.

I bent down and got low, remembering my Rugby coach screaming his head off at me to do so just last week at practice. I slammed my shoulder into one of the kid's spider legs. The kid wobbled a little with a yell of fright of tipping over. He lifted that leg up with a string of curses.

As he lifted that leg up all the way, I clung onto it with a smirk. "Get him off!" the kid yelled at the others. I pulled myself up onto the top of the leg and jumped toward the kid. With a battle yell, I slammed the heel of my right foot down onto his head. It was a move that I never knew I could pull off, but ever since Slade came into my life my confidence in myself has boosted and my way of thinking has changed. It's weird because I still feel the same but at the same time different.

The kid landed roughly onto the sidewalk with his metal spider legs all askew. I landed in a crouch next to his head. As soon as I was on the ground again, strong arms wrapped around the upper half of my body. The giant who now had me was laughing loudly in triumph as I struggled fruitlessly to get free from his hold.

The dude was stronger than Slade's robots! All the struggling in the world wouldn't get me out of his grasp. But there were other ways to bring down a human. I swooped both my legs between the giant's and rammed my feet into the back of his knees. He gave a short yell and fell to his knees, but he still kept a tight hold on me.

But now I was crouching on the pavement as the giant tried to get back up again. I leaned backwards as much as I could and sprung off the sidewalk with both feet. My timing was perfect and the momentum let me ram my feet into the beast's head. He let me go right away that time.

I landed on my back with a smile. The big guy was holding onto his head while moaning in pain. I rolled back onto my feet and suddenly stopped as the last Hive Five member jumped out of a black portal he made in front of me. He threw a punch at me and I managed to block him with an unexpected force field. His eyes went wide with surprise for a second at seeing my powers, but he was back to his unemotional self again in seconds.

But the dude was only a distraction. I didn't see that the kid was up again behind me. I turned around as I saw the claw in the corner of my eye, but I was too late. A big thick metal claw that was attached to the kid's backpack seized me around my stomach and squeezed the air out of me. With a laugh, the kid slammed the claw and me into a building.

My head hit the brick and I almost passed out. Stars burst across my vision and the world faded in and out. It was the sudden tight squeeze around my chest and stomach that snapped me out of that fuzzy world. My arms were free, so I tried pushing the clamp off me with them as my legs danged in the air.

"Stop struggling, crud muncher!" the kid ordered me with a sharp shake of the claw. I stopped and glared daggers down at him. "If you do what we say we won't do anything to you," he said with a snarl. He clearly didn't like the job he was doing right now. I was guessing kidnapping wasn't the team's thing.

"You won't do anything to me because Slade told you not to," I growled back down, showing as much loathing for him as I felt inside. I guess I was releasing too much emotion because the glass for the lamp post a few feet away turned black and exploded. Everyone silently looked over to it with confusion, including me. I had no idea I could do that kind of thing.

That second of uncertainty quickly vanished as the Hive Five's attention went back to me. The kid pulled the claw close to him and I was suddenly inches away from him. "What does a man like Slade want with a bugger picking kid like you anyways?" he asked me.

I gave him a smirk and said, "One, get a breath mint. Two, I wish I knew. Maybe you should go ask him."

The kid gave me a confused look. "What do you mean? You don't know why Slade is paying us to capture you?" he asked.

"Why do care if I know or not?" I asked.

"Because Slade is paying a whole haystack load of money for your capture," someone said from the side. The division guy was finally awake and glaring at me with hatred. "We want to know if there are more like you that we can capture for Slade."

"Nice idea, but I'm one of a kind," I said. I pulled some more on the clamp with a grunt of frustration. I was having a hard time breathing with a metal vice around my chest and stomach. And it didn't look like the kid was going to let me go anytime soon. I stopped and thought about what I just said and added quietly, "Well, at least I think I am."

"What was that?" the kid asked loudly while pulling me closer. "Don't make me squeeze it out of you."

A red haze suddenly zipped past us. A red boomerang had lodged itself in the metal arm attached to me. Everyone looked in the direction it had come from with stunned expressions on their faces. A teen a few years older than I was stood there with a small frown planted on his lips. His masked eyes had a fierce look in them. It was Robin from the Teen Titans.

"Gizmo, put him down," Robin ordered the kid sternly.

"Make me, crud eater!" the kid, Gizmo, shouted back.

Robin grabbed something on his belt and said into it, "Found him. The Hive Five has him. I might need some back up." He nodded as someone responded and then put it back in his belt. A flicker of a smile crossed his features as he took out a silver metal staff from what seemed like nowhere and said, "Oh, I'll make you."

Panic flashed in Gizmo's eyes. He raised me high into the air and shouted at Robin, "If you move, I'll crush him!"

"No you won't!" I yelled down at him, "Slade wouldn't let you!" I knew that Slade had many changes to kill me, but he hadn't. He would hurt me, but never kill me. I knew he would give those instructions to the Hive Five if he told them to capture me.

"Shut up!" Gizmo shouted at me with a deadly glare. At the same time he squeezed the clamp and knocked the air out of me. As I gasped for breath, I caught the expression on Robin's face when I mentioned Slade. His eyes went wide with shock then suddenly narrowed in anger. He must have bumped into Slade before.

The teen suddenly attacked with so much ferocity that I almost felt sorry for the Hive Five. He ran forward and was cut off by five of the division guys. But the fake macho act was gone and I could tell even from behind that he was a bit scared of Robin.

Even though the guy kept multiplying, Robin outwitted him in only the matter of seconds. The leader of the Titans slammed and swung his staff into the clones with precise moves. He paused for a second then spotted one of now twenty clones in the mass of them and attacked him. He jumped high into the air like some ninja or something and came down on the one dude with the end of his staff first.

Before the one knocked out guy hit the ground, Robin was already moving onto the next Hive Five member. I watched in amazement as all the division guys zoomed back into the knocked out guy's body. Somehow Robin had known that guy was the original. It made me chuckle in bewilderment. Was I really cloned after this guy?

"Get him!" Gizmo was now shouting at both the giant and the other impassive member. The giant nodded and came at Robin with one fist raised high in the air, ready to punch the lights out of the other teen. The other one wrapped his black cape around him and vanished in his own portal silently.

This whole time I was completely helpless. I wished I could help Robin take these goons down, but ever since Robin had showed up, Gizmo was keeping the clamp on me tighter. All I could do was watch as the superhero fought my battle for me.

Robin was doing fine on his own, though. He flipped and rolled away from the big guy, avoiding every move. The giant soon got frustrated and tired with the fight and started to get sloppy with his attacks, panting heavily. It was a tactic I would use on the giant myself if pushed into that situation.

Now that the beast was weary and sluggish, Robin started to beat the crap out of him. His metal staff was a deadly weapon as it spun one way to hit the giant on the face then turned the opposite way to slap against his back. Robin danced around the giant, in complete control over the power in his moves. He was brilliant!

Gizmo could only take the sight for only awhile, though. "Now, Kid Wicked!" he yelled suddenly. The quit one of the team suddenly appeared a few feet from Robin. Before the superhero could attack him, Kid Wicked pushed his palms toward Robin.

With a sharp yell, Robin fell forward. His feet were stuck to a pool of black goo that was slowly pulling him under. I gasped with despair. He was my only chance of escaping these guys. Now I had no way to talk to the Titans. I was also worried about the Titan. What if he didn't get out of that stuff in time? He could drown!

Gizmo started to walk away on his metal legs. "Smell you later, barf brain!" he called back to the struggling Robin with his trademark annoying laugh. The giant picked the once again unconscious division guy while Kid Wicked trailed behind.

I could hear Robin grunt in frustration as the tried desperately to get out of the black goo. I struggled with all my might to get out of the clamp, watching with anguish as Robin got smaller. He looked up at me and frowned sadly. Our eye contact held for a second. It was that split second that I knew I needed to say something.

Looking over my shoulder at Gizmo, I narrowed my eyes in thought. I then turned back to Robin and shouted at him, "Slade will be coming for me soon, Robin! I have something important to tell…"

I was cut off as Gizmo stopped and squeezed the clamp…hard. My ribs were close to cracking that time, and I couldn't breathe. Darkness threatened to overtake me. I think Gizmo was yelling at me, but I was already half conscious. It was scary because every time I tried to take in a breath, I could barely get any air into my lungs. All I could do was take short, raspy breaths and pray he would go soon.

Finally, he let me go completely. I fell onto the sidewalk, taking in deep breaths with my head spinning out of control. My arms shook slightly as I stayed like that on my hands and knees. I opened my eyes when I realized I was sinking into the sidewalk. I yelled in panic when I saw that I was dropping into another portal.

The unwanted darkness pulled me in unremittingly. I felt myself drift in the terrifying void of nothing, waiting apprehensively for the white exit. I finally found the bright freedom and floated through it. I thought for sure it would drop me from a high point like last time, so I prepared for the worst.

To my surprise, I had been placed carefully on a carpeted floor. I raised my head and took in my surroundings from where I was still laying on the ground. It didn't take a genius to realize I was in a cage.

_To Be Continued…_

-Raven-

She glided through the air at top speed. Her violet eyes were narrowed in worry and determination. She had felt a change in vibes from Robin suddenly. He was in trouble. That was all her mind powers were able to tell her.

But what worried her was that he had said it was the only the Hive Five who had the kid they were looking for. If Robin put his mind to it, he would have been able to take care of them by himself for a few minutes. Something must have gone wrong or the Hive Five had found a new weapon that had caught the Boy Wonder off guard.

Raven turned the corner of a building, keeping her high speed. She spotted Robin and fear sparked in her. She flew down above the other teen and examined his tight situation. He was knee deep in a small pool of black goo. The pool was slowly pulling him in deeper. Just from looking at his weary face covered with perspiration, she knew without asking that he was loosing the battle here.

"I'll pull you out, Robin," she told him, trying hard to keep the small fear out of her voice. He looked up at her with relief on his face for a second. He nodded and held his gloved hands up. Her slim fingers wrapped tightly around his wrists as his hands did hers. Her face turned skyward as she levitated upward with all her might.

"It's not working, Rae!" Robin said up to her. "It's just holding on tighter!"

Raven let him go and gently landed beside him, staying clear of the small black pool. To both of their horror, though, the portal suddenly grew in size quickly. Raven found herself in the same situation Robin was in less than a second.

"Raven, no, it will just…" Robin tried to tell her as the Goth girl, out of impulse, levitated backwards with a surprise yell. The sticky black liquid held on tighter to her feet and sharply pulled her back down into the pool. She landed in the portal with a loud splat. A sickening sucking noise sounded in both their ears, and the girl sunk at least two inches more into the goo.

This made Raven off balance. To help his friend regain her posture, Robin held onto Raven's shoulder. But it was too late, because she tipped toward him with a small scream. Robin landed on his back on the hot surface of the deserted street. Raven landed on his chest with a wince.

"Sorry," she muttered, wishing she had her hood on to hide her flushing cheeks in its shadows.

"You're okay," Robin said quietly. For a second the two stayed that way, staring into each other's eyes. Finally Raven managed to avert her gaze away from his face. She got back to her feet with some difficulty because she couldn't use her legs anymore. Robin skillfully and swiftly got back up, and they found each other staring at the other again.

This time it was Robin who broke the eye contact. He glanced down and cleared his throat, clearly a bit uncomfortable about something. "I've tried everything to get out of here," he told her seriously. "The more you pull away, the faster it pulls you in." He looked back into her wide eyes and asked, "You okay?"

Raven nodded, trying to steady her wild emotions with a small sigh. "I learned that the hard way," she said with a fleeting smile.

He returned hers with a wry one of his own and said, "You must have a few tricks to get us out of here." They both gasped as Robin sunk another inch in with a loud pop in the goo. He glanced down with a grim look coming to his features. Raven felt the full extent of his unseen fear as her powers sensed his vibes. Being this close made it easier for her to feel them as well.

"An explosion from underneath us could propel us out of here," Raven offered quickly. She tried to shake off her rising fear and his as well as she was pelted with the emotion from both sides.

"Sounds good," Robin said with a nod.

Raven swallowed a lump forming in her throat. She closed her eyes and emotionlessly said her mantra. A ball of black energy grew in her hand. She threw the ball into the goo and waited wordlessly with Robin for it to explode. The plan didn't go exactly how they wanted it to.

A big black bubble started to rise from between them. With bleak frowns on their faces, the bubble kept growing in size. It finally popped and both teens gave short screams as they both sunk down to their hips. They looked back at each other with fearful expressions.

"Where are the others?" Raven asked him, frustration running deep in her voice.

"I told them to go after the Hive Five," Robin answered.

"Why?" Raven asked in anger.

"They won't be able to save us, Raven," Robin told her as calmly as he could. "I'm powerless right now. I'm relying on you to get both of us out. You have so much power; I thought I would be free by now. But I guess you can't!"

He bit his lower lip when he saw her eyes widen a little in fear. He also felt the hurt he had sent her. The boy had said the wrong thing to her. He had also put too much pressure on her shoulders, and he was now realizing his mistake in choice of words.

The Boy Wonder sighed in frustration with himself. Here he was, sinking an inch a minute to his suffocating death, and all he could think of was how he talked to a team mate with the same fate. Raven folded her hands in front of her and gave him a piercing look till he said something. He looked upward, struggling with his pride.

"That came out wrong," Robin finally said while looking back into her eyes. "I'm just…"

"Scared?" she finished for him with her face softening.

Robin stared at her with a defiant look in his masked eyes. They sunk another inch into the goop. He looked down with another sigh. "Okay, I'm frightened a little," he admitted. "I thought we would be out by now, but it seems like Kid Wicked has gotten better with his powers. And we need to save that kid right away." Raven gave him a confused look. "Slade is after him," Robin answered her silent question.

"That might explain your emotional vibe for the past few minutes," Raven muttered.

"But the point is, it's not your fault," Robin said. Raven smiled slightly, as it was transparent that he was a very difficult time apologizing to her when she already knew why he had exploded on her. She had let him go on with his pointless confession because it calmed her a little. But she wondered why he was doing it.

"Please stop," she told him with a small chuckle. He was taken aback from her odd command. "You're fine, Robin," she explained. "Even though I'm grateful for the apology, I didn't need one." He nodded but was still slightly confused by her words.

"Starfire might need an explanation," She said, "But I'm fine just reading others' vibes. When going into your body, Robin, I did more than just communicate with you. We now share a mental and emotional bond that I have with no one else. I feel a lot of what you feel now."

"I've noticed that," Robin said quietly. They sunk deeper into the pool and now had to keep their arms up a little ways so they wouldn't get stuck. He looked down at the black goop and a thoughtful frown came to his lips.

Raven opened her mouth to say something, but she noticed that he was too deep in thought to listen to anything else. He was better off there, in that world, than with her now. She watched him, relaxing her tense emotions by catching onto his. Whenever he thought like this, it could sooth her soul sometimes. She never knew why.

"This is how it's going down," he suddenly said, snapping out of his thoughtful state and looking her in the eyes. She snapped back with him and nodded. "If pulling pulls you in deeper," he told her with an excited smile coming to his face, "Then pushing must push you out of here. It's worth a shot."

"What if it ends up like last time?" she asked him.

"It's not like we have hours to experiment, here," he told her with a shrug.

"You're right," she said with a nod. Without knowing they were doing so, the two teens were smiling at each other.

A/N: I actually enjoyed writing my Raven and Robin fluff romance this time. If you know me, I'm not a big fan of romance and still in the dark as to writing it. Little by little, though, I like it. More of their relationship will be later. Please review! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9 Knocked Out With Escape Tool

A/N: I'm beginning to think of my retirement for this site. I mean, I'll still finish up any unfinished works of mine, but I don't know if I should keep making new fics. Ever since Teen Titans stopped, the fans and reviewers have gone down for Teen Titan fics, and I don't have any other shows that I'm passionate about. I also only have two years left of high school. Maybe when I graduate I'll retire from here. Sorry about my ranting. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, Slade, or any of the Hive Five members.

Chapter 9

Three Titans burst into Titans Tower with tired sighs. They had lost a small battle with the Hive Five, and their pride was a little dented. It had been four against three, but the Titans still had the upper hand in the skirmish. It had sharply ended when Kid Wicked managed to vanish all of the members of his team into a portal, along with himself. He had gotten stronger lately.

Cyborg took out a can of Root Bear from the fridge and collapsed on the couch. "Man! Since when could that little mute kid do that?" he asked Starfire and Beast Boy over his shoulder.

"Yes, the silent one is more powerful than we expected," Starfire sighed.

"Yeah, you weren't the one fighting him," Beast Boy muttered. He took out a Coke and sat down next to Cyborg while saying, "He sent me through so many portals, I started to get dizzy!" Cyborg hid a smile as he had a few gulps of his drink.

"If they didn't have Kid Wicked on the team, they wouldn't even be a threat, really," Cyborg said with a nod.

"The Billy Numerous is kind of powerful," Starfire pointed out.

"Annoying as heck, too," Beast Boy added.

"You got that right," Cyborg said.

The three sat up as the door to the Tower opened again. Robin and Raven walked in and were covered from head to toe with globs of black goo. Robin was shaking his communicator with a frown planted on his face. Raven was picking off the globs on her blue cape with disgust.

"Problems?" Cyborg asked them with a small smile.

The two looked up at the other members silently for a second. "What are you three doing here?" Robin asked them. "I thought I told you to take down the Hive Five. Did it really take that short amount of time?" He glared at Raven as she picked off a huge glob dangling from his hair. She flicked it away and gave him a smirk.

"It was cut short," Cyborg answered with a sad sigh. "They got away."

"But we were kicking their butts!" Beast Boy said before Robin could say anything. "It would have been a sweet capture!"

"The boy you spoke of was not with them," Starfire said, answering Robin's soon to be question.

"That's what I predicted," Robin said. "Kid Wicked probably sent him to their hideout."

"Well that sucks," Beast Boy said. "We have no clue where that is."

"Not anymore," Robin said. "The only problem is that my communicator with Mammoth's tracker is not working because of the goo we ran into."

"No problem, Rob," Cyborg said while standing up. He snatched the communicator out of Robin's hand and cut off his protest by saying, "You and Raven shower while I fix it. By the time both of you are down here in clean clothes, we will know where the Hive Five's hideout is."

Journal 3: Part 3

_Continuation…_

The cage I was in was in the middle of a big room. The room had a giant computer screen at one end and different little computers scattered around the rest of it, sticking mostly to the walls. On the other side of the room was the entertainment center. A long couch sat across from a plasma TV screen with every kind of game station, games, ten disk DVD player, and DVD's pilled around it. It was any person's dream. Too bad most of those things had to be stolen.

I stood up, letting out a deep sigh. The place was quiet except for the low hum of the giant computer and the small click of the clock above one of the five doors around the room. The bars to my new prison had to be at least two inches thick. The length they were apart from each other was maybe two to three inches. I wasn't going to be able to slip through them this time.

I noticed that the base of the cage was bolted to the floor. I got to my hands and knees and stuck my hand out in between the bars. After a few minutes of trying to twist one of the bolts, I finally gave up with a growl of frustration. The thing wasn't going to budge, and I had no idea how long I had to stay in there or when the Hive Five was coming back.

Looking up, I spotted a wrench on a metal table ten yards away. I could use my powers to levitate it over to me! Focusing my whole attention on the tool, I tried to move it by bringing up some emotion. I felt some progress and could actually feel the tool, but nothing was happening to it. I tried harder but all I was able to do was make the thing bounce pathetically.

"What were the words she used?" I asked myself out loud. One of the Titans I was cloned after had a mantra to help her focus her energy sometimes. I groped around in my brain for her magic words that the kid on the bus had told me.

Suddenly it came.

Without any hesitation, I stuck my hand out at the wrench and shouted with excitement, "Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos!"

I don't remember much after that. The tool had reacted so fast I had no control over it. I remember a blow to my head and then darkness. I think I actually knocked myself out with the wrench, which wasn't my finest moment. Don't laugh.

Waking up was the difficult part. Loud voices sounded around me, and I awoke with a wince. My head throbbed in pain. I made out the whole Hive Five team standing over me with either confusion or amusement on their faces.

"What did you do to him, Kid Wicked?" Gizmo yelled at the dark one. Kid Wicked only shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Then what knocked him out?" I groaned and sat up straight. This only made me dizzy, and I had to close my eyes to block the pain out.

"Well, he's okay enough to show to Slade now, ain't he?" the division guy asked Gizmo.

"Yeah," Gizmo said with a bored sigh, "I guess so. Handcuff him just incase he tries to run away." His spider legs were gone now, I noticed, as he ran over to the main computer and typed in a few keys. I was pulled sharply to my feet by the giant. I was still dazed from that weird black out as I was handcuffed and dragged over to the screen.

"I see you have him," Slade's voice flooded into my ears suddenly. I snapped out of my stunned state and glared up at Slade on the computer screen. Uh! Just looking at the dude makes my blood boil and freeze at the same time. Without knowing at the time, my hands balled into fists. I had to grind the back of my teeth to keep myself from exploding on him.

"Yep," Gizmo said with a proud smile, "Just like you ordered. And he's in perfect condition."

"He doesn't even have dandruff!" the giant declared while yanking on my hair with a cruel smile.

"Hey!" I shouted at him while elbowing him in the side. My sudden move made the giant let go of me to nurse his bruised rib. Gizmo hissed some harsh words at the giant while the division guy snickered. Kid Wicked sighed, and I knew he had to be rolling his eyes.

"When will you be here to pick the whelp up?" Gizmo asked Slade.

"Tomorrow," Slade answered smoothly.

"What?" Division dude whined. "That means we will have to baby sit for hours!" He shoved my shoulder roughly, but I kept quiet, giving him a dark glare instead of speaking up. "That deserves more pay!"

"We agreed to the price of his capture long ago," Slade said to him calmly. "It will always be that price, which is already a bit expensive."

"Trying to milk it for all it's worth?" I asked the division guy. I gave him a spiteful smirk. "Go ahead and ask him what you asked me. Something about capturing more of ones like me, was it now?"

"I swear I'll gag you when it's my turn to watch over you if you don't shut up, kid!" the guy snarled back.

I turned back to Slade and said to him, mostly for my own benefit of my own knowing, "These guys need some extra cash. So how 'bout it, Slade? Any more of me you need to capture? These guys would love to be the ones to do your dirty work."

Slade narrowed his eye at me. He then completely ignored my question and told the others, "I'll be there tomorrow. Keep a sharp eye on him at all times." Did that mean there were more clones like me? I couldn't know for sure because he didn't answer me. But I got the hint that there could be. Image that!

"Don't worry," the giant said as he squeezed my shoulder with one of his massive hands, "He won't be escaping anytime soon." I fought down the urge to wince as his finders grinded into my bone.

"Good," Slade said with a firm nod. He then focused his eye back one me and said with a hint of slyness in his voice, "Goodnight, Gene." The computer screen then went black. For a second, I just stood there in shock. For the first time he hadn't called me boy. He had used my real name. Did that mean I was now worthy of his time? How come that wasn't very reassuring?

"Throw him back into the cage, Mammoth!" Gizmo ordered the giant. "You can take the first shift. And don't let him near anything that he could use as a weapon or a tool to get out of there. Slade's paying good money. I actually want this job done right for once."

My handcuffs were taken off before Mammoth shoved me back into my prison. I watched him with cold eyes as the giant walked around the living room, picking up anything that looked like I could use against him. He avoided my stare, which told me he had to be a bit scared by me. It was pretty amusing.

Mammoth didn't spend too much time looking around the area, but he managed to pick up the wrench and put it away where I couldn't see it. Even though he had told Slade they would keep a sharp eye on me, this guy fell asleep on the couch five minutes afterwards. His loud, train-like snore told me this. I guess my quiet intensity got to him.

With the big lug out of my way, I was free to do whatever. I spotted my backpack on the floor next to the couch, and the idea of using my powers again came to me. This time I was smart about it. That last time I had used way too much emotion without any thought. I needed to be focused.

So instead of shouting the words to Raven's mantra, I quietly uttered them while sticking my hand out of the cage. I felt the backpack become a part of me. The pack turned black and levitated in the air. I bit my lip and put more emotion into it. As if it were attached to strings like a puppet, my backpack smoothly flew over to me, and I grabbed it in mid air.

"Yes! It worked!" I whispered triumphantly to myself. Slowly my powers were starting to unfold. I knew that it would take me years of practicing to make them perfect, but I was enjoying the feeling of just using the basics.

For at least five hours I wrote to you guys in the notebook while Mammoth was sleeping. I had to hide the thing when it was Gizmo's and the division guy's turn to watch over me. They both kept awake for their five hours. I wrote some more when Gizmo decided to watch a movie, but I didn't get a lot done because he was constantly glancing over his shoulder at me. The division guy, who's name is Billy Numerous I later found out, looked over me like a hawk.

By the time Kid Wicked switched places with Billy, fifteen whole hours had passed. The clock above one of the doors told me it was six in the morning. My head was spinning around with so many thoughts I knew that I would never go to sleep even if I tried now. I was bored out of my mind, though! With them looking over me, I couldn't read or write to you guys. I was stuck there thinking about escape plans till they got so much out of hand and ridiculous, I had to stop thinking about escape all together. I needed entertainment.

Kid Wicked came in with a plate of food. He nodded to Billy, and they both switched places. The sight of the fresh BLT sandwich made my stomach remind me of its shortage of food. I glared at the teen, mad that he planned on eating the thing in front of me.

To my surprise, the quiet one placed the plate down beside my cage and then sat back on the stool Billy had been sitting on. My eyebrows rose in question. He urged me to eat it and that it was for me without a word and only making a few hand gestures.

I got to my feet and walked over to the side of the cage the food was at and sat down. I glanced up at Kid Wicked and muttered a small, "Thanks." I then quickly dug into my small meal like it was sent from Heaven. I hadn't eaten in hours! The sandwich was gone in less than a minute. The only thing I didn't eat was the plate and a few crumbs.

"Did you make that?" I asked Kid Wicked. He nodded, expressionlessly like always. "It was good." The thought that he had poisoned it fleeted through my brain. But the thought was quickly deleted. Why would they poison me? I wasn't going anywhere.

We sat there for a few more minutes in silence. I stared at the floor as he watched me. Then I finally heard a sigh come from him. It was the first self provoked emotion I got from him all day. I guess he was just as bored as I was at this point.

I smiled slightly up at him and said, "Yeah, I'm a bit boring, aren't I?" He shrugged. I tilted my head to the side and asked him randomly, "_Can_ you talk?" This caught him off guard. His eyes went wide for a second. He then shook his head no. "Oh, sorry," I muttered. I would hate to be mute. How do they ever communicate? Well, this guy made it this far without too many problems. Maybe it wasn't so hard.

Another fifteen minutes passed without us saying anything to each other. I shifted to a position on my back and sighed loudly in complete dullness. "What do you guys do for entertainment around here?" I asked Kid Wicked.

The teen suddenly stood up and walked over to the couches. I watched him pick up a deck of cards and walk back to my cage. I sat back up with raised eyebrows. He sat down right outside my cage and dealt us both some cards.

"You're not like the others, aren't you?" I asked him. He glanced up at me with question on his face. I picked up my cards and explained myself. "I mean, you have, like, this…quiet knowledge going on with you. Without you, Robin would have kicked your whole team's butts back there. You're the only one who seems like he knows what he's doing."

This brought a small, knowing smile from the teen. He shook his head no and asked me if I had any twos by raising two of his fingers. Yeah, we were playing Go Fish. At least it was something to do. I gave him one of my cards. He then held up three fingers.

"Go fish," I muttered, suddenly loosing myself in thought. "Have any fives?" He gave me two of his cards and I had a pair. I stared at my cards and thought about what would happen in only a few more hours. Slade would come and take me away to some other dark hideout of his for maybe the rest of my life. I had avoided thoughts like this for so long, but now they were bombarding my mind. It was totally depressing.

I finally sighed and banged my head against a bar with despair. "Life's not fair," I mumbled mostly to myself than to Kid Wicked. "How come my life's so screwed up? The person who said the good guy always wins was on drugs. I'd rather die than go back with Slade."

As if listening to my thoughts, the whole room was suddenly clothed in darkness. I sat up with a gasp. The back up lights lit up the room in dim red. Kid Wicked was on his feet now, standing in a firm fighting stance. I got to my feet and searched the room for anyone. A creepy silence drifted into the giant room. My heart began to race in anticipation. The seconds dragged on slowly as Kid Wicked and I stood stock still.

"Crud!" Gizmo yelled while barging into the room suddenly. The rest of the team was behind him. "It's them!" They stationed themselves around the room, searching the darkness with keen eyes.

"Who?" I asked, not knowing if I should be scared or hopeful.

"The Titans!" Gizmo barked back, "Who else would it be?"

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Sorry if the chapter was a little on the boring side. There wasn't that much action. But on a brighter note, I finally drew Gene. He came out rather well, actually. He kind of looks like Danny Phantom, though. I should scan the picture so you guys can see it. See you guys next week! Please review!


	10. Chapter 10 Sewer Is a Go

A/N: The beginning of this chapter might be a bit boring, but it does have a purpose. I hope I'm not confusing too many people by going back and forth from Gene's journals and the Titans. Read, enjoy, and most importantly...review!

Disclaimer: Any characters you know from the show Teen Titans, I don't own. The rest…are mine!

Chapter 10

"How's the smell down there, Robin?" Cyborg's voice asked jokingly into the teen's ear.

"Lovely," Robin came back after a pause, pressing a hand against his earpiece, "Thanks for asking. Any other questions you would like to ask, Cy?"

"Just one more," Cyborg said wickedly. Robin's jaw tightened in slight annoyance. "Are you enjoying the fact that you are the one with the best sneaking skills on the team, so you are the only one worthy enough to craw around in the sewer and ventilation shafts?"

From where Robin was waist deep in sewer water, the boy responded with a sigh, "It's truly an honor." The small illumination of his flashlight barely was able to show him a pathway through the tunnel. Deciding to play Cyborg's game, he said to the tin man, "I didn't know how much crap was down here till now. Jump City's sewers are cleaner than the Hive Five's."

"And you know they are cleaner because…?" Cyborg asked.

"They are a thief's greatest escape route," Robin answered. "What policeman in their right mind wants to go chase a thief in the middle of the night in the sewer system? As Red X, I used them all the time to get around."

"Maybe we should set up some cameras in our sewers so we can catch the new Red X," Cyborg suggested. "He's become more of a problem lately."

"He has only made two heists since the take down of the Brotherhood of Evil," Robin said flatly.

"Yeah, and both of them we didn't even see him in person," Cyborg said. "We only saw him on the security cameras, waving at it like we were some big joke. I don't like him."

Robin smiled bitterly to himself in the darkness, remembering the footage. Even without the belt, Red X was still pulling off incredible heists. The Boy Wonder had to admit, the guy was good at his job. At first Robin hated the man's guts for shoving his huge flaw in his face, but after a while, Robin didn't mind the thief. He actually had helped him a few times. He was borderline good and evil. If the two sides were black and white, Red X would be gray.

"Since when did we start liking villains?" Robin asked Cyborg, his smile becoming one of amusement.

"You win," Cyborg said. "Oh, and the entrance into the Hive Five hideout is coming up above you soon. How are you going to hide your smell?"

"I guess I'll just have to stay down wind from Mammoth," Robin came back quickly. For once he was in a weird enough mood to joke around with Cyborg when he was on a serious mission. It was even more surprising for Robin because Slade was somehow intertwined into this mess.

"You okay, Rob?" Cyborg asked him skeptically, "You actually didn't sound very bothered for the first time tonight."

"Get over yourself, I'm fine," Robin answered. He stopped under a round door and shined his flashlight up at it with a frown. Usually a ladder would let someone up to the door, but there was none here. Robin put the small light in his teeth and crouched down a little, submerging most of his body in the smelly water rushing past him.

The teen jumped up toward the latch, launching himself out of the water. He grabbed onto the round handle he had to turn to open the door with both gloved hands. The boy positioned himself so that his feet were pressed firmly against the ceiling above him. He was now hanging upside down; the only thing keeping him from falling was him gripping the handle.

Brown sewer water trickled down his back and lazily dripped back into the man-made river under him. Robin gritted the flashlight in his teeth, wishing he had the utility belt with the rip cord in it, but that one was damaged because of Kid Wicked's portal of goo.

"You're not moving on my radar, Robin," Cyborg's voice said to him through the earpiece. "Are you at the entrance yet?"

"Yeah!" Robin yelled back with the flashlight still in between his teeth. His masked eyes narrowed in irritation of Cyborg's copious amount of questions. "One sec!" He gripped the rusty handle and started to turn it, at the same time rotating his upside down body with it.

When it was unlocked, Robin flipped back down into the water with a quiet splash. He shot one of his grappling hooks up next to the entrance and zipped up next to it. With both hands on the grappling hook's handle, Robin swung his feet at the door. The door was pushed open by his feet with a loud creak. Robin left his grappling hook there as he easily pulled himself out of the hole and closed the door behind him.

"I'm in," he whispered to Cyborg. He was in the basement to the Hive Five's hideout. It wasn't as big as the Titans, but it could be just as creepy. At least the Titans cleaned theirs' once a year. It looked like these guys avoided the job of that entirely. There was a layer of dust on everything, a person with allergies worst nightmare. Spider webs inhabited the rafters and corners. Robin could even hear the high pitched squeaks of rats somewhere in the near darkness.

"Do you have something in your mouth?" Cyborg asked him, "Because I have no idea what you just said."

Robin spat out the flashlight he had forgotten was still in between his teeth. "I'm in," he repeated. "That entrance is definitely a go, Cyborg. It seems like the best way to get in here."

"Speak for yourself," Cyborg muttered. "That water is gross, man."

"Not as bad as the time Beast Boy had us chase him through the sewers when he was that beast," Robin pointed out. "No one complained there."

"Yeah, because Raven and BB are worth it," Cyborg said. "I just don't see why we have to risk our butts for this kid because of some visions you and Rae had. Are you sure he said Slade was after him?"

"Trust me, this kid is worth it," Robin said. He quietly crept over to the metal stairs leading up to the door to the main floor. As he climbed them, he said to Cyborg, "He and the Hive Five were talking about Slade. Gizmo didn't let the boy say much, though. Slade doesn't want any of us involved."

"So of course that makes us involved," Cyborg said.

"Exactly!" Robin whispered loudly.

"You're obsessed, Robin," Cyborg told the teen flat out suddenly. Robin stopped in his tracks, stunned by his friend's words. "You freak whenever someone says that man's name. Well, stop! Just because this boy said his name, that doesn't mean we should get involved. Slade has his own business now. He hasn't done anything to us in a long time. We should leave it that way. I know this sounds crazy, but I think he's through with Jump City. He's not interested in it or any of the Titans. He's like, retired, man."

"I can't believe what you're saying!" Robin hissed at Cyborg through the small microphone. "This is Slade! He's _always_ planning something. I don't know what he is planning with this kid, but I can't just sit back and watch as my city is over taken by a mad man. Even if it has nothing to do with us or Jump City, the kid needs help."

"See? You're obsessed," Cyborg said simply. "I agree about looking into it, but you're obsessed."

"I'm not…" Robin stopped in the middle of his sentence and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with frustration. He was over the apprenticeship thing with Slade. It scarred him, but he was done looking at the past. And from his and Slade's conversation back when Trigon was ruling the earth, it seemed like Slade was done with him too. They had moved on. The only thing that didn't change was that Slade still wanted power and Robin still fought crime as the leader of the Titans. He wasn't obsessed anymore…or was he?

"Look, man, I'm sorry," Cyborg said quietly. "I was a little too blunt."

"No, you're fine," Robin muttered. "I guess I'm still cleaning up after my mistakes."

"On a brighter note," Cyborg said suddenly, "We have scheduled you for an appointment with a psychiatrist. Now…how does that make you feel?"

"Annoyed," Robin growled back. He took off his head set and smiled evilly as he heard the squeaky voice of Cyborg protest. He then stuffed the thing into his belt and patted the pocket, knowing the sound would sound like an avalanche on Cyborg's end of the head set.

Now with that out of the way, Robin was free to go along with his mission with whatever inner thoughts of his not getting interrupted by his friend's questions and wrong opinions about him. He let himself smile while sneaking out of the basement and down the hall. It had to be at least four in the morning, but Robin thrived in the night and in the dead of morning. When it was dark outside, that was when his brain really was able to work.

Just as easily as Robin had gotten in and out of the sewers, the boy was in the ventilation system of the hideout. It was just as dusty and dark as the basement. He made his way quietly to the main room. He stopped at an opening right above the cage in the center of the room. He looked down and spotted the boy in the cage, looking bored and a bit worried. Billy Numerous was watching steadily over him, and he didn't look too happy about it.

Robin took out his head set and whispered into it, "I see the kid."

"What was that back there, man!" Cyborg shouted loudly into his earpiece. Robin winced and told himself he should have expected Cyborg to yell at him after that small stunt he pulled. "You totally blew me off!"

"I'm thinking about doing it again if you don't shut up and tell me the next part of your plan," Robin said. "I can't believe you made this whole thing up while I was in the shower."

"Well, you and Raven were showering for at least twenty minutes," Cyborg pointed out. "I guess Kid Wicked got you good." Robin rolled his eyes under his mask while taking out a set of mini binoculars from his belt. The voice of Cyborg faded out to a nice background noise in Robin's mind.

"You listening to me, Robin?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm waiting for the plan," Robin answered in a low whisper. He examined the room with his binoculars, zooming in and out on random things. "They really out did themselves with this hideout. The place is nice, kind of reminds me of the Tower. You were right about one thing, though, lots of security where the kid is. The front door is definitely a no go. I guess you'll have to take the sewers with Beast Boy and Star."

"That's nice to know," Cyborg said with a sigh. His voice then changed its note as he said, "Okay, here is the plan. We'll give them a little scare before we drop in."

"I like this plan already," Robin said with a sly smile.

Journal 3: Part 4

_Continuation…_

Everything happened at once. The vent above my head was suddenly sliced open and Robin fell down. In the dim red lights, I think I saw him smiling as he landed on the top of my cage perfectly. Just as quickly as I saw the grin, it left. It was replaced by his trademark small frown.

"Ya'll ready to get your butts kicked?" someone shouted at us from a doorway. It was the one called Cyborg. Behind him the changeling, Beast Boy, and the alien girl, Starfire, stood in confident fighting stances. Boy, all this for me! I didn't expect them to make this kind of entrance. It was almost comical.

"Crush them!" Gizmo shouted to his team.

The two teams suddenly rushed into battle. I wanted to join them so badly. But once again I was stuck to sitting helplessly on the sidelines as they fought for me. It made me feel wimpy.

"Come with me," a voice said from behind me. I gave a short scream of fright while spinning around. I didn't know someone was in the cage with me! But there she was. In the red lights, the girl looked like an extremely evil remake of Little Red Riding Hood. She had on a long cape with a hood that only allowed me to see her passionate eyes as they stared at me. It was Raven.

Before I could answer her, Billy suddenly came up from behind and stuck his arm through the bars of the cage. One arm wrapped around my throat. He caught one of wrists with his free hand and twisted it painfully behind my back. He pulled me backwards and into one of the bars. "You're not going anywhere, kid!" he said with an evil annoying laugh. Jeez, and I thought Gizmo's laugh was maddening!

"Get over yourself!" I barked back at him. I watched as he multiplied himself a few times. His copies managed to grab Raven before she could get me free. My mind worked fast. I spotted my backpack and smiled. "You might want to cover your eyes," I said to Billy.

"What?" he asked, a hint of confusion coming to his face.

The pencil in my backpack was so small; I didn't even have to say the mantra. I raised my one free hand up and then suddenly pulled it towards me. The object flew past my cheek and smashed through Billy's goggles. I heard a cry of pain as he let me go.

The second I was free, I heard the big explosion. The whole room lit up as the main computer suddenly combusted without warning. A massive heat wave washed over me, actually knocking me and everyone else in the room off their feet.

"Hold on!" Raven whispered to me. She grabbed my shoulder and used her advanced powers to teleport us out of there. I remember last hearing the loud cursing of Gizmo and the whoops of the other Titans before escaping into the comforting darkness of Raven's magic. Right before I was taken away, I grabbed my backpack with the journal pages in it.

Raven and I were saddening in another room. It was like I blinked and was there. I was now in some hospital room it seemed. Two beds with gates on their sides were in one of the corners. Medicine cabinets were lined against the far wall and a sort of operating table as on the opposite side of the room the beds were. Nurse anyone?

"Are you hurt?" Raven asked me while flicking on the lights.

"Beside my leg, no," I answered. I was surprised that I wasn't freaked out or anything like that. I was a bit excited from that big explosion and the battle still going on in the hideout, but besides that, I was feeling fine and calm.

"I'll take a look at it," Raven said. She pointed to the metal table and I sat on it, watching her as she levitated around the room. Her blue cape flittered at times as she moved gracefully from spot to spot. When would I get talented enough to levitate everywhere? The thought made me excited for my future. These powers just kept getting better and better!

"What happened?" Raven asked me as she saw the wound on my leg.

I winced as she clipped the thread I had used at the pit stop to close it up. "Slade got a good shot at me in a parking lot a few days ago," I answered, trying hard not to move my leg away as it stung from her stitches. "I'm lucky he didn't get me back there."

Raven nodded silently, but I could tell she was concerned about something. I don't know how I knew this because she was looking as expressionless as Kid Wicked. She finished up the stitches and rubbed some alcohol on the wound, which stung like mad.

"The Titans will be back in an hour," Raven told me as she walked me over to one of the beds. "We will get you then. You should rest or just relax."

"Hey, thanks for busting me out of there," I said to her with a smile. I quickly added, "And for professionally patching up my wound." She nodded with a small smile and left the medical room silently. I sat on the bed with a sigh and opened my backpack to take out my notebook.

So since then I've been writing again. I need to stop here. I'm so tiered suddenly. Now that I'm safe in the Tower and finished my hectic story to your guys, I feel like sleeping for hours! I've been sleep deprived for a long time. It will be nice to finally catch a few Z's.

I'll write more to both of you soon. Later!

Gene

End of Journal 3

A/N: I might update this weekend, but I'm not sure. Two updates in one week is a bit much, but I was on a updating spree today. Please review!


	11. Chapter 11 The Computer Hacking Birdy

A/N: For some reason this chapter was difficult to write. I had a lot of writer's block for it too. So if the quality is a bit crappy, I'm terribly sorry. I've had to redo a lot of sentences. But please enjoy and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own much in this fic.

Chapter 11

A bead of sweat slowly slid down Robin's forehead. The focused teen didn't notice the heat discomfort as he kept working on the device in his hands. His back was pressed firmly against a wall while his feet were pressed against another wall. The distance between the two was only three feet, which was making the suspended teen ache.

The wall his feet were against was covered with wires looping in and out of tiny holes. Some of the wires were connected to the square blue apparatus in Robin's gloved hands. With a tired sigh, Robin plugged wires in and out of the device as Cyborg gave him instructions through his earpiece.

"See, this is why I didn't want BB to go do this job," Cyborg said to Robin.

"Next wire," Robin told his friend. He smiled slightly at what Cyborg said. Beast Boy would have cried if he saw this wall full of wires. The wires were hooked to the main computer, which ran everything from electricity for the hideout to which channel the TV could be on. Instead of usually just throwing a bomb on the computer and destroying it, Cyborg wanted rewire it. A broken computer could be replaced. One with Cyborg's override could do a lot more damage…and could be fun!

"Take out the tiny green one from the top of the device and insert it in one of the bottom slots," Cyborg answered. The guy was a wiz at anything with computers. Robin was good, but he would have never had done this job right without the other teen's help. "Wait till the green light turns on and then you are done."

"Good, because my legs are starting to cramp," Robin said with a relieved sigh. He leaned his head against the wall and brushed another bead of sweat off his forehead. The green light suddenly blinked on, and Robin looked down at it with a smile. "The override is finished. It's time for some action!"

Using his second grappling hook, Robin got back into the vent he had cut open above him. He made his way back to the opening above the cage in the main computer room. "Ready when you are, Cyborg," he whispered into his microphone.

"Here goes the lights," Cyborg said. A second afterwards, the room Robin was looking into went completely dark. The back up lights came on, bathing the room in blood red. Robin waited for the other members of the Hive Five to run into the room till he gave the signal to his team. They all looked pretty freaked. Just like how Robin liked it.

"Everyone in position?" he asked.

"The fun is ready to begin," Cyborg called back.

"Titans, go!" Robin whispered into his head set before yanking it off and shoving it into his pocket. He lifted his foot up and broke the opening to the vent with one powerful kick. He then slipped out of the vent and fell down to the cage with a smile. He landed lightly on top of the prison the boy was in and frowned at the stunned Hive Five.

"Ya'll ready to get your butts kicked?" Cyborg shouted from the other side of the room where Starfire and Beast Boy were with him. The Hive Five looked back to the other three with worried faces.

"Crush them!" Gizmo finally yelled at his team.

Robin jumped off the cage and landed right in front of Kid Wicked with a daring smile. Kid Wicked frowned deeply at him, annoyed that the teen had cut his pathway to the cage off. "I demand for a rematch," Robin said. He took out his Bo Staff and twirled it to its full length behind his back.

Without a word, Kid Wicked crouched down and put his palms on the ground. Robin jumped high into the air before the portal could suck him in. He came back down upon Kid Wicked with a loud battle yell, his Staff raised above his head. Kid Wicked quickly waved one hand in the air and created a portal in front of him that would suck Robin in.

To dodge the portal, Robin slammed one end of his Staff in the ground beside the portal and pushed off it. He flung himself above the portal in front of the other teen and brought one of his legs down onto Kid Wicked's left shoulder. The move toke the kid down to his knees with a silent cry of pain.

With a soundless battle yell, Kid Wicked created a portal under Robin's feet. The boy gave a sharp yell and managed to get out of it just in time. But Kid Wicked was a step ahead of him and had another portal waiting for him for when he jumped out of harms way. In less than a second, Robin was gone.

Kid Wicked smiled evilly as he opened up the other side of the portal Robin was in. A black hole opened up from the ceiling and dropped the teen from it. Robin had predicted Kid Wicked's move and was ready for anything. He dropped out of the portal with one heel aimed for Kid Wicked's head. The villain saw this in time and rolled out of the way.

Robin landed in a crouch and looked up at Kid Wicked. He saw the smirk on Kid Wicked's face and glanced upward to see what the boy was creating. A big portal was falling on top of him. Robin took a few steps back, thinking it was only a distraction. But then the thing followed his movement. Robin frowned at Kid Wicked before running away from the portal. The portal came after him at surprising speed.

Cyborg suddenly ran up beside his leader and looked over his shoulder at the portal with confusion. "We have ten seconds," Cyborg told him. "Need a lift?" He motioned toward the portal chasing Robin with a small smile. Robin nodded with a wry grin. Cyborg laced his fingers together. Robin put one of his feet into Cyborg's interlocked hands. Cyborg propelled Robin high into the air in one swift movement.

Robin soared over the portal gracefully and landed in a crouch a few feet away from it, but also next to his dropped Bo Staff. Robin quickly whirled his Staff up and gave a grunt as the portal slammed into it. It wasn't big enough to take the Bo Staff in, but the force caught Robin off balance, and he fell onto his back. He kept the Staff held high as the portal pushed against it, trying to suck Robin into its black depths.

Suddenly the portal grew in size. Robin quickly pulled his Bo Staff toward him and rolled out of the way with a sharp yell. The portal vanished as it fell to the floor where he had been. Robin got to his feet and grinned triumphantly at Kid Wicked.

Before any of the fighting teens could make a move toward the other, the Hive Five's main computer suddenly exploded. The sound was tremendously loud, and the fire lit up the room for a second. A powerful heat wave managed to knock everyone in the room over. Robin wrapped his cape around him, just incase any of the burning debris raining down wouldn't set him on fire.

A whoop of joy came from Cyborg. "You did great, Robin!" he yelled through the clouding darkness of red tinted smoke. Robin laughed while getting to his feet. He couldn't see a darn thing through the smoke that was now filling his lungs. The room quickly filled with coughs and choking from the people caught in the smoke.

"What did you just do to my computer, tin man?" Gizmo shouted. All fighting was put on a hold as the teens stumbled around the room looking for each other. The fire alarm went off, and the sprinklers sprayed water down into the room, soaking all the teens from head to toe.

"This sucks!" Mammoth coughed loudly. This only brought the Titans to a laughing fit, which was hard because they were suffering from the same things. Robin finally found Cyborg as the smoke slowly started to fad away. They found Starfire and Beast Boy and didn't have to wait long for Raven to pick them up with one of her own black portals.

The Titans found themselves in their living room suddenly. They all looked at each other, still sopping wet, before cracking up again. Even Raven joined in with them. "Just look at their reactions on the security video cameras I was able to get because of the override," Cyborg said while pointing up to their computer screen showing the Hive Five. Another fit of laughter came from the group of friends. Who said crime fighting couldn't be fun?

"Glorious!" Starfire shouted with pure delight while hugging Robin tightly.

"We totally kicked their butts this time," Beast Boy cheered. "Sweet revenge!"

"Star! I can't breathe!" Robin choked.

"This is just the beginning of their torture," Cyborg said. "Even with their computer blown up, I have control over their whole hideout. The best part is that they can't do anything to stop us from toying with their crib!"

"Sweetness!" Beast Boy laughed. "This is way better than video games."

"No, really, Star!" Robin choked. "I can't breathe!"

With a sigh, Raven had to pry Starfire off of Robin. As Starfire rejoiced with Beast Boy and Cyborg for a second, Raven grabbed Robin's hand and led him out of the room and to the Tower's infirmary where Gene was. They stopped right outside the windowed door.

"How is he?" Robin asked quietly.

"He's fine," Raven answered, "But he is emotionally unstable."

Robin looked into the other room and saw the kid sitting on the bed, writing up a storm in his notebook. For any other on looker, the boy looked perfectly fine and maybe actually having a good time, but Robin had a trained eye. He could tell Gene had some weight on his shoulders. There was that slight look of worry and bitterness in his deep violet eyes as he kept writing passionately.

"Yeah," Robin muttered. "I can see it too." He looked down to the pool of water forming below him. "With Slade after him, I don't blame the kid," he said to Raven quietly.

"We both know how that is like," Raven said. She tried to make the conversation about Slade light as she said with a forced smile, "The worst thing was the insomnia."

Robin smiled up at her and said, "I was born an insomniac. It was the sick chill of my spine whenever I saw him that was the worst part." Raven was surprised of his words. He had never shared that kind of information about the madman to anyone…even her.

"What really frightens me is that I saw him use my powers before I teleported him here," Raven said.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked. "Did he use powers just like yours or take away from your powers?"

"They were his own," Raven said. "But no one else has my powers, Robin. This doesn't go well with me."

"Me neither," Robin said. He looked back into the room silently. Raven could tell he was worried about something, but it wasn't about the kid. Without looking at her, Robin asked Raven quietly, "Am I…obsessed? With Slade, I mean."

Raven grimaced as his emotions suddenly washed over her. She put her hand on his shoulder and told him seriously, "You have grown up since then, Robin. Having this power to read emotions, I've monitored yours ever since the first day we met. I've felt you emotionally grow for all the years I've been with you and the others. And out of all of us, you have matured the most. I don't think you are obsessed, Robin. If you were, you would be out in that city tearing down buildings for any clue of Slade right now. But you're not."

"But maybe that is what I should be doing," Robin said softly. "Am I not being a good superhero by not doing everything in my power to take men like him down? Batman always…"

"Robin!" she cut him off loudly, "You're one of the greatest heroes I know!" She gave him a sweet smile she didn't know she had in her before continuing. "Staying here for a few hours won't hurt anyone." She quickly added, "Plus, Slade wants the kid, which we now have. He will be coming to us."

The two teens suddenly realized they were holding the other's hands. They looked down with surprise and then quickly retracted, body language looking uncomfortable but emotional vibes telling each other something different. Raven pulled up her hood to hide her pink cheeks. Robin rubbed the back of his neck while looking skyward with a sigh.

"Friends!" Starfire beamed as she flew up to the two. "Is that the boy you were speaking of?" she asked them while looking intently into the other room. Cyborg and Beast Boy were right behind Starfire, and they looked into the room to get a glance of the kid as well.

"That's him, Star," Robin said with a nod.

Starfire giggled and pointed out, "He has your puffy hair, Robin!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy busted out laughing at her description of Robin's spiky hair. Robin sighed in annoyance but let it slide. He caught Raven's smirk and gave her a pretend glare before averting his eyes back to the kid. Starfire was right, though. The kid had the same spiky, jet-black hair that Robin had.

The kid suddenly looked up at them. With gasps of surprise, everyone ducked out of sight. They heard a slight chuckle from the other side of the door. Robin smiled at his team mates. He knew they were acting stupid by trying to hide from the kid, but the light hearted feeling of going along with them didn't make it seem foolish at all.

Raven was the first to stand back up. It had been Beast Boy who had pulled her down by her long cape. She glared down at him as he gave her a sheepish smile. The girl rolled her eyes and looked into the room. "He's asleep," she said with some surprise in her usual monotone voice.

Everyone else stood back up and looked into the room. Sure enough, the kid was sleeping soundly on the bed, his backpack clutched in his hands. But even though he should have, he didn't look peaceful at all. Even as he slept, he was still suffering from some inner turmoil.

"He went to sleep pretty fast," Beast Boy pointed out.

"I say leave the poor kid there," Cyborg said. "If he fell asleep that fast, he must have been up for days. He needs a few Z's." Everyone nodded in silent agreement. "Just look at him! He's a mess!" The kid was covered with scars and bruises. His clothes had sweat stains and were covered with either mud or dirt. It looked like he had been though a lot. The Titans knew how that was like and felt sorry for him.

"I'll say!" Beast Boy said. With his nose turned up in disgust he said, "I can smell him from out here. When did he last bathe?"

Suddenly, the kid shuddered as if having a frightening dream. What was strange was that both Robin and Raven, at the same time as the kid, shivered too. The others looked at both of them in surprise. "Nightmare," the two said at once.

Cyborg gave them a concerned look. "You two okay?" he asked, "Because that was very creepy, what you just did."

Robin and Raven looked at each other. The truth was that they had no idea what was going on between them and the kid. All they knew was that they had some kind of connection with him. They didn't know how linked they were.

A/N: Some good stuff is going to come up next chapter. A new little twist to the story as well. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please give a review!


	12. Chapter 12 Red X, The Auctioneer

A/N: I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled this morning. All of them were impacted so I'm going through agony right now. It hurts so bad! So all my writing will be on a small two or three day pause because I can't focus. I can barely type this author's note right now. I hope you like the chapter. Please give a review!

Disclaimer: refer to every other chapter.

Chapter 12

Rose put down the notebook paper with a small shiver. Zach had finished reading earlier than her and was sleeping fitfully on the couch next to her. She looked around the broken room in despair. Slade had left for some reason, but only after skimming Gene's journal. He had been gone for two hours now.

Robots still stood at every doorway to prevent anyone from leaving. The Hive Five members were slowly picking up the pieces of their hideout. Kid Wicked already considered himself not part of the team anymore and refused to clean up with the others. He didn't dare leave, though. Slade would kill him if he did. So he just sat off to the side and watched emotionlessly as his old team worked.

Sparks suddenly flew up from the destroyed computer. Gizmo looked over to his wrecked creation with a sad expression on his face. He mumbled a few curses before picking his broom back up. Mammoth and the dozen or so Billy Numerous' had the same expressions on their faces as they patched their hideout back together at what seemed like snail pace.

Rose suddenly wondered what she had gotten into. She was a perfect attendance, straight A student who wanted to do great in the world when she got older. How did she get here, with a team of super villains and a madman out to get her boyfriend? She pulled her legs up to her chin with another shiver. A wave of hopelessness came over her usual happy, cheerful way of thinking.

"It ain't winter!" one of the Billys suddenly shouted. "Why's it freezing in here? Turn up the heat, Gizmo!"

"Yeah," Mammoth agreed while rubbing his arms, "It feels like its snowing in here. Look! I can see my breath!" He opened his giant mouth a few times, and sure enough, a white puff cloud could be seen before it lazily vanished into the air.

Gizmo rolled his eyes while using his jet pack to fly over to the thermostat. He could see it slowly turn down on its own. He frowned at the device and tried turning it up. He grunted as the thing didn't budge. "Stupid thing!" he yelled at it in anger. "It won't move!"

"That is because the Titans have overridden your main computer," Slade said while briskly walking into the room. Rose shook Zach awake. She knew he wouldn't want to miss what Slade was going to say. Zach got up with a daze like expression on his face. Once he spotted Slade, though, he snapped to attention.

"How do you know?" Gizmo asked him while folding his arms in front of his chest. Slade simply bent down and picked up a little scrap of metal and threw it at Gizmo, as if to answer his question. It didn't take long for Gizmo to know what it was and that it was created by Cyborg. He threw down the device with another string of muttered curses. It would be winter in their hideout till the Titans decided to change it.

"I have a plan on how to get into Titans Tower," Slade announced to everyone in the room. "They are expecting us, so let's move. That includes you, Kid Wicked." The teen frowned deeply but stood up anyways and followed after his old team.

"Wait!" Zach yelled after Slade while standing up. Slade stopped at the doorway and turned around with his eye narrowed on both of the teens. "What about us?"

"You are going to stay here," Slade said. "You are free to leave once I have Gene. Till then, my robots will keep you two from leaving."

"What?" Rose finally spoke up. She got to her feet with anger rushing through her. "You said we could see Gene! But now you're going to keep us here, captive, while you go and capture my boyfriend again! We had a…"

"Rose! You're eyes are freaking glowing!" Zach yelled at her to stop her shouting. Rose stopped and looked at him strangely. His own eyes were wide open in slight fright. "Do they usually do that when you're mad?" he asked.

"No!" Rose snapped back. She turned to Slade and gasped. He was gone. "Darn that man!" she cursed while stomping her foot on the floor. Zach took a small step away from her and bit his lower lip. This was the first time he had seen her angry.

"You okay?" he asked her as she sat down on the couch and buried her face into her hands. She looked up with tears in her eyes, but she didn't cry as she nodded to him. Zach ran a hand through his Mohawk and said with relief in his voice, "Good. That whole glowing eye thingy you did kind of scared me."

"But my eyes don't glow, Zach," Rose said to him softly.

"I swear they did just then," Zach said.

"And I swear you have cat-like eyes," Rose told him.

Zach frowned back down at her. "Fine, you win," he said. "I have cat eyes. But I didn't know I had them till you pointed them out the day Gene's first journal came. Happy now?"

"But why do we have these abnormal things?" Rose questioned out loud. "It's not like we have hidden superpowers like Gene."

Zach sat down next to Rose with a sigh. As if at the same time, a forbidden thought came to them. They looked up at each other with wide eyes. "Don't tell me that we're thinking the same thing," Rose said.

"Well I was thinking about what Gene told us in his journal," Zach said hesitantly.

"But he was only guessing that there are other clones like him," Rose pointed out. "And wouldn't the clones look like him?"

"Well, how do we explain my sudden cat-like eyes and your creepy glowing ones?" Zach asked.

"No, Zach," Rose said stubbornly, "We are not clones like Gene. You're just letting all this excitement get to your head."

"Oh! Don't give me that bull crap!" Zach snapped back. "For once I feel like I'm thinking clearly, Rose. My brain is, like, in overdrive. Those few days we were waiting for Gene's journal, I was sitting in my room taking apart stereos and any other appliance I could carry to my room. I then put them back together perfectly after I found out how it worked. Tell me, Rose, that that is normal for my age. Give me the parts to a CD player right now, and I could make one for you in less than an hour, I swear. Something is different in me! Doesn't anything feel weird for you?"

Tears flooded Rose's eyes. "Fine!" she shouted while crying. "I admit it! We're freaks just like Gene! I didn't want to say anything because…I don't know; I just didn't want to sound crazy to anyone! But as I was waiting just like you for that journal, I spent hours at the gym's indoor pool. One day I realized I didn't need to hold my breath while underwater. I'm like a freaking fish!" She buried her head into her hands again and sobbed.

"Rose, we're not freaks!" Zach told her.

"Yes we are!" Rose shouted back.

"No. Just because people have abilities to do things normal people can't do doesn't mean those people are freaks," Zach said. "We are now like the Titans and Gene. These powers we have should be cool. Gene thinks they are awesome, why can't we? I mean, come on! You can breathe underwater! That's sweetness at its best right there. I don't even know exactly what my power is."

"But it's just so…"

"Weird?" Zach finished for her with a wry smile. She nodded and stopped crying with a sigh. "Duh," Zach admitted. "I was worried for days once I saw my creepy looking eyes. I kept looking at them, which made me look like a retard in school."

"But who were we cloned after?" Rose asked. "What Titan is a mermaid?"

"Don't know, but the glowing eyes remind me of that alien girl from that picture on the Internet we got from researching them," Zach said with a bored shrug. "You must be a mix of her and someone else."

"Why someone else?" Rose asked. She tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Because Slade fused two DNA strands to make Gene," Zach explained. "Gene is half Raven and half Robin. If Slade cloned us, he probably did the same. We are a mix of two superheroes." He sighed while adding, "Gene was right. Life is more complicated than what we thought."

"It was complicated to begin with," Rose muttered.

-Red X-

Loud hard rock music pulsated throughout the small apartment room. A masked figure leaned back in a nice leather chair bobbed his head to the hard beat with a smile. The bottom of his mask was pushed up so the only exposed skin he had at the moment was his chin and mouth, which he was stuffing with Hawaiian pineapple pizza. The other hand was casually twirling a red X with one finger.

He still hadn't taken off his Red X outfit from the night before. He liked the sly feeling he had whenever he was in it. At two in the morning on a Saturday, Red X was celebrating a job well done for his latest heist with pizza, loud head banging music, and a good search for the next wanted or expensive thing in his city. That was the life of Jump City's greatest thief.

"Let's see what I got," Red X said to himself after finishing his third slice of pizza. He took his feet off the glass computer desk and stared into the flat screen monitor before him. "This city is getting boring," he said to himself even tough he couldn't hear his voice over the blasting music. "This is just crap," he said. "Where is the good stuff?"

After a minute or two of finding nothing of his personal interest, Red X was about to leave empty handed. Then something caught his full attention. "Hello!" he yelled at the monitor with a giant grin coming to his face. He put his slice of pizza back in the box and turned down his music. He laughed as the thing he read just kept getting better.

"I know how to settle this fight," he said with another laugh. "The kid will go to the person with the most cash. I'll decide winner."

-Teen Titans-

"So where do you think Slade went?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg and Robin. The girls were stationed around Gene as he slept in the infirmary while the boys watched the video footage of the Hive Five's hideout. They were all on high alert ever since they saw Slade leave the hideout two hours ago.

Cyborg was at the computer controls while Robin monitored the footage around the Tower, the hideout, and parts of the city. Beast Boy was just there as back up. If they needed an extra person somewhere, Beast Boy would be the one to go.

"He's looking for an easy way into the Tower," Robin said as he kept his sharp eyes on the black and white video footage boxes that switched every few seconds. "He doesn't want to just barge in here," Robin explained. "So he finds a way inside and ambushes us with the Hive Five."

"He must really want that kid," Beast Boy said. "Why can't we just wake him up and ask the dude why Slade wants him so much?"

"Did you see him, man?" Cyborg asked the changeling. "The kid pretty much passed out, he was so tired."

"Slade's back at the hideout," Robin said suddenly. The other two snapped into attention and their eyes flew to the screen above them. They all watched silently as the Hive Five left. Robin's eyes narrowed as Slade turned back around to talk to the two mystery kids who had showed up with him three hours before. Cyborg had already done some research to see who the two teens were, but nothing had come up. They were as mysterious as the kid right now.

"Okay, now where is he going?" Beast Boy asked as Slade left.

"Here," Robin said emotionlessly. "He's found a way in."

"Or he could be trying a front attack with no surprises," Cyborg said. "The Hive Five could fight us while he goes after the kid."

"He knows that we know he's coming," Robin said. "He's found a way in. The question is; where?"

"Robin, I have video cameras at every corner of the Tower," Cyborg reassured the teen. "I could track a stupid squirrel all night if I wanted with this much technology. We will see them."

"Maybe there is one place you forgot to put cameras at, dude," Beast Boy said with a shrug. He knew that Cyborg was telling the truth, but it was best to be safe than sorry. You always had to check all possibilities.

"Every room has one," Cyborg answered sternly. Robin and Beast Boy glanced at each other before giving Cyborg stubborn frowns. "Fine, I'll prove it to you guys," Cyborg said. He turned back to the key board and typed in a few keys. "Here are all the rooms inside the Tower."

"How come the basement one is off?" Beast Boy asked while spotting the only black box out of the many others on the screen.

"It's not off," Cyborg corrected, "The lights are just not on down there. They can't get in from down there, anyways. Our drain into the sewers is too small even for Gizmo to fit through. They can't duplicate what we did to them."

"But they have Kid Wicked," Beast Boy pointed out with a wince. "He can make a flipping portal! Didn't you think about that?" Cyborg was only able to frown as he saw his mistake. Robin was already ordering Raven and Starfire to keep a sharp eye out for anything on his communicator. He nodded for Beast Boy to go ahead. The changeling took off in a sprint for the basement door after giving Cyborg a sorry shrug.

"Make sure no one else comes in," Robin told Cyborg. "Tell the girls or me if you see anything." Cyborg nodded and turned back to the computer screen as Robin raced to the basement. The door was already flung open, and Robin could see Beast Boy jump off the railing of the metal stairs. The green teen morphed quickly into a bird and glided down to where the Hive Five was.

Robin skidded to a stop on the top of the stairs and glanced down at the small group of teens below. It didn't take long for Robin to notice that Slade wasn't with them. He spun around while reaching for his Bo Staff. He was quickly met with a shoulder to his chest. With a cry more out of surprise than pain, Robin was sent over the railing. The teen managed to grab onto one of the railing's metal bars with one hand to prevent himself from falling.

A wave of intense pain shot down Robin's arm as his body pulled against the muscles there. He winced as his body dangled precariously three stories above the ground. He looked up and glowered as Slade looked down at him with slight amusement in his one eye.

Slade then ran out of the basement and locked the door behind him. "It's not that easy, Slade," Robin growled as he swung his body back and forth. He then flipped himself over the railing and landed in a crouch. He swiftly took out two small bombs from his belt and slapped them onto the two hinges.

The soft tick of the bombs gave Robin only seconds to get away from the soon to be explosion. The teen leapt off the railing while whipping out his grappling hook and shooting it at one of the rafters. As he soared through the air, the bombs blew the hinges off the locked door. Robin swung back toward the door and forced it open by plowing right into it. With a giant bang and cloud of dust, the door fell down with Robin on top of it.

Wasting no time at all, Robin sprinted off to the infirmary. He didn't like leaving Beast Boy all alone to battle the Hive Five, but Slade needed to be stopped before he got to the kid. While taking the stairs three at a time he took out his communicator and ordered Cyborg to help their green friend.

It suddenly dawned on the teen that Slade could have no idea where the kid was. Slade could actually be following Robin to where the kid was located. Instead of going all the way to the fourth floor, Robin stopped at the third and burst through the Tower's gym doors. He briskly walked to the center of the room and waited.

"Bravo, Robin," the familiar smooth voice said to the teen. The man slipped silently through the door as he said this. He didn't bother turning on the lights as he slinked his way toward Robin, his one eye narrowed dangerously on the boy. He stopped a yard away from Robin in a calm stance with his hands clasped behind his back.

Robin was already in a firm fighting stance, masked eyes intensely locked onto Slade. He was breathing heavily from his hurried sprint up three flights of stairs. His controlled gasps for air echoed around the large gym, making it the only sound in the room.

"No questions?" Slade finally asked Robin with a hint of slyness in his voice. "Usually you are just filled with them." Robin gritted his teeth in anger at the insult, but still kept his silence. The man started to walk around the leader as he said, "You don't know anything about the boy, do you?"

"I know enough," Robin said.

"Oh, but you have no clue what the boy is," Slade said, still circling Robin. "If you did, I'm sure you would hand him back over to me. You, Robin, don't know what you have gotten your team into."

"Don't tell me what I should do!" Robin spat back spitefully. "And you should know by now that that lame line doesn't discourage my team and me." He smiled wryly as he added, "It actually motivates some of us."

Slade stopped circling and said sternly, "Enough childish mind games. I'll get right to the point. Show me where you are hiding the boy or I'll make you."

"Not very many options, are there?" Robin pointed out with a teasing smile. He backed up a little and said, "I guess I would have to choose you trying to make me. Trying is the main word there."

Slade folded his arms in front of him and told Robin firmly, "I'm serious, Robin. You do not want to intervene into this matter. Just give me the boy and I will leave."

The man's strange manner caught Robin off guard. He stood up straight and gave Slade a questionable look with one eyebrow raised in suspicion. "What is he, Slade?" he asked the man. "What did you do?" If Slade was so serious about this that he was leaving the option of just flat out leaving, it had to be big. Robin was now starting to worry. It was rare that you saw Slade like this. It meant something bad.

"I'll admit one thing," Slade said coldly, "That boy was a mistake of mine. He is my problem, not the Titans. Show me where he is. Now, Robin!"

Robin shook his head no. "I can't," he said. "He is all our problems, even if you like or not. He doesn't want to go back with you." He narrowed his masked eyes as he muttered, "You seem to emotionally scar everyone you come into contact with."

Without warning, Slade attacked. Robin barely had time to react as he ducked the fist aimed for his forehead. He did a few back flips to give himself some breathing room. Slade didn't give the boy a second as he rushed in for another attack.

The man whirled out his Bo Staff and swung it at the teen. Robin didn't have time to dodge. He blocked the blow with his left arm. The hard force drove Robin to a knee. He winced through the shattering pain as he came back quickly with his own Staff raised high above his head.

The room was suddenly filled with intense battle yells and loud clashing and clattering of metal on metal as the two adversaries went at it. Slade was relentless in his hard hitting attacks of his Staff. Robin strained both his mind and body to keep up with the man. He used every skill in his arsenal to fight back.

Slade wasn't playing with him anymore. He seriously meant it when he said he would make Robin show him where the boy was. Robin tried to push the questions and thoughts about Slade and the boy out of his head as he focused on the battle raging on. He had never seen Slade like this. There was no toying to his moves. He was set out to quickly and swiftly take Robin out.

With one powerful blow, Slade rammed his staff under Robin's chin. The boy managed to stay on his feet as he backed up with a grimace of pain. Slade then drove the end of his staff into Robin's gut, forcing him to his knees and dropping his Bo Staff on the floor. Slade piteously slammed his metal bottom foot onto Robin's outstretched hand that was going to retrieve his staff. The teen cried out as his hand was crushed under Slade's weight.

Robin looked up with widened eyes as Slade picked up the other staff off the floor and raised both of the Bo Staffs over his head. The teen gave a sharp yell as he pulled his hand free and rolled out of the way of the powerful blow of the staffs. He was now out of a weapon and resorted to full time defense as Slade unremittingly came at him with both staffs twirling and whipping around his body. Every blow was deadly and precise. Robin was having the worst of times dodging the man now.

Suddenly Robin's communicator went off. The noise put Slade on pause. He stopped in mid swing. Robin was on his back on the floor, looking up at the man. Both of them breathed heavily as the stared at each other. Robin's sweat dripped off his body and silently splattered the metal floor beneath him. He was just thankful that Slade had stopped. He couldn't have gone on for long.

Robin pulled out his communicator and opened it. "Yeah?" he asked after taking a deep gasp for air. Raven was on the other side. She looked stressed beyond belief. She didn't answer him for a second as she closed her eyes to calm herself down. "What happened, Raven?" he asked with concern.

"He's gone, Robin!" Raven finally said. Robin shot a glare up at Slade, but the man's widened eye indicated that he was just as surprised as the teen. The teen looked back at Raven with a confused look. If Slade didn't have the kid, then who? "It was Red X," Raven said.

A/N: I love cliffhangers and twists! I hope this provokes people to review. Ouch! I'm in pain. At least wisdom teeth only get pulled out once in your life time. I would cry if I had to do this again someday. Well, my readers, review. I'll try to update next weekend for you guys.


	13. Chapter 13 The Created Mistake

A/N: Whew! This chapter was bit on the difficult side to write. I didn't want to write it in the first place because all I've been writing in my other fics is backgrounds. In this chapter, you get Gene's. I hate writing backgrounds for some reason. But I think it came out. It's not exactly what I wish it to be, but I'm satisfied. Read and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Teen Titans.

Chapter 13

The whip of the Bo Staff next to his shoulder made Robin flinch. He was still on the floor holding onto his communicator. He closed it up with a defeated sigh before throwing it across the room in a slight anger outburst. Slade let go of Robin's Bo Staff he had slammed on the floor next to the boy. He turned away from the teen leader, trying to calm his emotions.

"Did you pay Red X?" Robin asked Slade suddenly. "He wouldn't kidnap just for the heck of it. There has to be money in the deal for him to even think about stealing."

"I wouldn't pay that dense collage adolescent to do any of my work," Slade retorted. He rolled his eye at even the mention of the thief. Slade already knew exactly who Red X was from a short month of research. The kid was talented in his work, Slade would give him that, but he acted too much his age, which annoyed the man. He was like Robin if the boy never was brought up by Batman.

"Great," Robin muttered sarcastically after a long sigh, "He's just gotten into this mess because of his own selfish gain again. He's going to auction the kid off to the highest bidder."

"For all I know, he could be working for you," Slade said. "Lately, you two have become friends."

"Friends?" Robin shouted. "He has helped me out two times, but that does not mean we are friends!" Slade glared daggers at the teen as if trying to make him prove it. Robin defiantly stared back as he said quietly, "I wouldn't trust that thief with anything. Plus, we are even at this point. We don't owe each other anything."

One of Slade's eyebrows slightly rose in question before he dismissed the thought in his head. He twirled his Bo Staff to its compactable state and put it back in his belt. Robin was still on the floor as Slade gave him one last glance before walking steadily toward the doors of the gym.

The Titan thought fast as he scrambled to his feet quickly. He ran a gloved hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh before shouting to Slade, "I know how to find Red X!"

"I do too," Slade said behind his shoulder. He didn't stop walking.

"But my way is faster. My team will beat you to him," Robin said, his shaky voice told Slade he was torn inside about something. This time Slade stopped at the door and looked down at the padded floor, letting Robin explain himself. "We…uh…we could team up," Robin said softly, avoiding all eye contact with Slade.

"What's in it for you?" Slade asked as he turned around. He folded his arms in front of his chest and stared boldly at the struggling teen.

Robin looked up into Slade's eye and answered, "You tell my team and me everything about the kid."

Slade kept his eye on Robin as the teen did the same to him. The seconds ticked on as Slade thought it over and Robin waited for his answer. The man finally sighed deeply. "Deal," he said emotionlessly with a cold nod. Robin nodded firmly back, trying not to smile in his slight triumph. He picked up his Bo Staff and put it away while walking past Slade.

"You would still make such a nice apprentice," Slade said smugly, walking down the stairs next to the teen. Robin shot him a dark glare, which only made Slade smile under his mask. The topic would always make the teen squirm, and it was amusing to watch.

"You've improved a lot since the last time we fought each other," Slade continued, watching Robin closely. "I thought for sure you wouldn't last for more than five minutes."

"It's not like I just sit around here playing video games all day with Beast Boy," Robin muttered. He didn't want to admit that lately he had been doing exactly just that. Had he been slacking off just because Slade was gone? The question didn't go well with the teen's mind.

"Usually a compliment is returned with a thank you," Slade said sardonically.

"Usually you don't compliment," Robin pointed out.

"True," Slade said with a nod. "But you need not to worry, Robin. I'm not looking for an apprentice…yet."

Robin looked over to Slade with slight fear in his eyes. He then finally shook his head with a chuckle. "You're messing with me, aren't you?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Maybe," Slade answered just as mysteriously. Robin rolled his eyes under his mask with another chuckle. On the inside he was confused with himself, though. Why was he joking around with Slade suddenly? Slade had and always would be his biggest adversary. How come he was now asking to team up with him and unwisely joking around with the man who was the enemy? Who was the one changing here?

"This will be hard to explain to the others," Robin said after a pause of silence between the two. "They aren't going to except you into our plans right away. You're going to have to explain things…fast."

"_You_ were the one who made a deal with the enemy," Slade said with a shrug, "You should be worried more about yourself." Robin ran a hand through his hair again in nervous habit. Maybe he should start thinking of ways to clarify his motives to his friends. This wasn't going to be easy. What had he gotten himself into?

The two finally got to the main floor which held the giant computer screen. Everyone was already there. Cyborg and Beast Boy were listening to Raven as she told them about Red X taking off with the kid. Starfire was sitting on one of the couches and looked guilty for letting the thief capture Gene so easily. The mood wasn't at its best when Slade and Robin arrived.

All at once the room was quiet. All four Titans looked over to the two in either shock or horror on their faces. Just as quick as the room had fallen silent, it dropped into chaos. Robin flinched as his team exploded into questions, anger, and confusion. Slade simply stood by the boy's side and took it all in with a narrowed eye of annoyance.

"Stop!" Robin yelled at his team suddenly. They obeyed with frowns, clearly showing their dislike of the situation. Robin looked all his teammates in the eyes before saying sternly, "I know all of you guys might not like this, but Slade has agreed to team up with us." He quickly added before anyone could speak up, "Only if he tells us everything about the boy. Just…trust me."

"We trust you a lot, Robin," Cyborg said, "But this is nuts! Why did you agree to let him team up with us?"

"Oh, you have it all wrong," Slade said, "It was your friend, here, that started the deal. I only complied because you all are now bound to find out about the boy's secret. I need the fastest way to the boy, and Robin assured me yours is the one I'm after."

"Enough," Robin snapped. "Talk, Slade, let's start with the boy's name."

"You never were the patient one, Robin," Slade said with an evil smile creeping onto his lips. Robin only folded his arms in front of him and glared coldly back at Slade. The room fell silent as the two stared at each other, battling out a personal conflict with only their eyes. It was like an intense game of who could stare the longest.

Slade was the one who stopped the short game by glancing over to the other Titans. He stood up straight and said emotionlessly to them all, "This story doesn't start with the boy's name. It goes all the way back to when you first met me. As you all found out the hard way, I was looking for an apprentice. When Robin didn't work for the first time, I decided…to make my own."

Everyone in the room was now focused on the man, eyes wide in dread they couldn't turn away from. Slade didn't stop to let their brains wander. He came straight out with it.

"I made the first two fused clones as an experiment," Slade said. "I was actually surprised that they were born with personalities. I planned on them being more like robots, where I could mold their personalities to my liking. So I gave them to two hired families and left them alone. But my third fused clone was perfect for my desired personality and also came with a…let's say a bonus."

Slade paused, giving the Titans some time to ask questions. They all stared at him. He guessed questions would come when he was done, and so he continued. "Then Terra killed me. I found out later that the small clone I had made ended up like my others. It was shipped out to a hired family, next to another one of the clone's family.

"When I came back alive and helped you with your Trigon problem, I realized my predicament with one of them. You see, the one that came out perfectly before, came out _too_ perfect. This clone I made was a fuse of two genes." He paused again, trying to predict how the teens would act after he said who it was. It was now or never. "I fused Robin and Raven's genes together. The boy who is now with Red X is really a clone of both of you two."

_Thud!_

Everyone looked over to where Beast Boy had fainted. Starfire was already by her friend's side, trying to reawake the shocked to unconscious teen. Cyborg and Robin were down Slade's back in a flash. Cyborg had his fist raised, ready to knock the lights out of the man who he had pinned up against a wall. Raven closed her eyes with a grimace. Pillows and light bulbs exploded around her as she desperately tried to take hold of her now wild emotions.

"Is this some sick joke?" Robin was shouting at Slade. "How could you do this?" Finally Robin couldn't take it. He dropped to the floor and held his head in his hands. Confusion, anger, and despair welled up inside of him. He leaned his back against a couch and stared at the ceiling, trying to calm himself down. Hitting Slade right now wouldn't do anything, but he was very tempted to do just that.

"Like I told you before, Robin, the boy was a mistake," Slade said. "I was going to keep the boy on a down low. But just a few weeks ago, someone murdered his parents the same morning I picked him up. Besides him being upset about being captured, the boy was completely fine. Then he escaped. His two personalities were coming out, and his powers were barely starting to develop. It was his first Robin streak I had seen from him. I still don't know how he exactly got away."

"Wait, the kid is a clone of Robin and Raven?" Beast Boy asked, still on the last subject. Everyone glared at the changeling. He smiled sheepishly back but didn't ask anymore questions. Cyborg nodded to Slade to keep going.

"I didn't know at the time what kind of an error the boy was when I made him," Slade said more softly now. He leaned his back against the wall and stared at the ground emotionlessly. "I created him before I died. I created him before I made that deal with Trigon." He looked back up at the Titans and said, "I created him before I found out Raven was a portal to Trigon."

-Rose and Zach-

"Stop pacing, please, it makes me nervous," Rose told Zach. After being stuck in the Hive Five hideout for hours, the two teens were becoming extremely restless. Zach was so edgy that he couldn't stay still, and after a half an hour of pacing beside the couch, it was starting to make Rose fidgety as well.

"I really need to do something," Zach said. He ignored her request and kept walking briskly back and forth. "They've been gone for a little over an hour now. I see no sign of them coming back. We should get out of here."

"We can't get passed those robots," Rose said as she stood up. She shivered and hissed, "And it is freezing in here! We'll get frostbite before anyone gets back."

"Hey! We have superpowers! Maybe I can get past them with mine," Zach said, a smile brightening his face. Rose gave him a critical look as he walked up to one of the robots at a doorway. She sighed in annoyance as he started to yell at them. "Hey! Any of you barf brains know my power?"

"Don't tell me you just called them barf brains," Rose said with a small grin. Zach stopped his nonsense shouting and turned to face her with a wry grin.

"I did call them that, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh. Rose nodded with a small giggle at his foolhardy actions. "Well, I have no clue what powers I have," Zach said to her. "Maybe since I'm good with technology I'm like Cyborg. Then I'd have super strength!"

"No, Zach, think about…" Her warning was too late. Zach ran at one of the robots by the front entrance with his fist raised high. His battle yell was quickly turned into one of pain as the robot blocked the teen's attack. In a flash, the robot had Zach by his shoulders. The teen's eyes were wide in surprise as the robot lifted him off the floor and unexpectedly flung him across the room in one powerful throw.

Zach screamed loudly as he flew through the air. Rose gave a short scream as he landed on his back on the floor next to her. He was motionless. The girl kneeled over him, her face pale in fright that he was dead. But she didn't need to worry. The teen had only slightly hurt his back and bruised his high pride. He would feel the full affects of his foolish stunt the next morning.

"I'm never doing that again," Zach muttered to himself suddenly. Rose gave a sigh of relief and stood back up. The teen winced as he struggled to get back to his unsteady feet. "I'm fine, woman! I can handle myself!" He batted Rose away, trying to desperately hang onto some of his pride.

"You're pathetic, Zach," Rose chuckled as she had to hold onto his shoulder to prevent him from colliding with the floor again. She eased him over to the couch and let him drop into it with a smile. She was just glad he hadn't been injured in that toss.

Both teens looked up as the sound of a door sliding open came from the main entrance. "Move it!" Gizmo was saying to his team. They busted into the hideout in one great mess of hurry. They easily knocked the robots out of the way and paused as they flooded into the living room where Zach and Rose were.

"We're leaving in ten minutes!" Gizmo said to his team. "Get your crud and meet me here."

"What if Slade shows up?" Billy asked. They all shared worried looks.

"Then it's every kid for himself," Gizmo said finally. "Just…hurry!" Just as quickly as the team had showed up, they scattered. The three teens plowed their ways over the robots and to their rooms to quickly gather their things. They rushed as if they were literally timed.

"What's going on?" Zach asked the empty room.

"Something must have gone wrong," Rose said quietly.

"That can't be good for us or for Gene," Zach pointed out.

Suddenly a black hole appeared in the middle of the living room's floor. Kid Wicked came up out of it and stopped to catch his breath. He spotted the two teens and frowned. The teen started to briskly walk away, heading for a door that led to his room. He didn't make it far, though.

"Kid Wicked, stop!" Zach shouted to him. The dark teen obeyed and sharply turned around to face them. His black cape snapped behind him at his sudden movement. Zach and Rose ran up to him with hopeful looks in their eyes. "You gotta help us," Zach said. "We need to get to Titans Tower, but we can't get past these robots."

"Please," Rose said imploringly.

Kid Wicked glared at both of the teens. He could so easily help them with their problem, but what would Slade do to him when he found out he had helped the two? Even though the teen portrayed a well put together, dark, and emotionless person, the truth was that Kid Wicked feared a lot of things. Slade would be one of them. But then, being heartless was another. He didn't want to be all evil. He just wasn't that way. It wasn't exactly in his nature even when being a thief.

"At least do it for Gene," Rose said quietly. "We know you two were cool with each other. Helping us with this could maybe help Gene as well." Zach rolled his eyes at Rose's words. It baffled him how nice she would always be in a dire situation like the one they were in now.

Kid Wicked kept his hard glare as he thought about her words. But then again, Slade would find out. The teen had heard too many stories of the man. The Hive Five had talked about him, and dreaded every meeting with him. For some reason, Kid Wicked had developed a fear of the madman. That was why he lately had done everything he had told him to do. But he couldn't just leave these two here.

After a second of thinking it through, Kid Wicked was fed up with his indecisiveness. His fear of Slade had to be dealt with. The best way was here. He raised his hand high into the air, thinking of the location he wanted to take the two. Zach and Rose took an unsure step backwards right as Kid Wicked slammed the palm of his hand on the floor in between them.

"Hey! This takes us to the Tower, right?" Zach asked. He and Rose were quickly sinking into the black portal under their feet. Kid Wicked only smiled evilly back as he watched the two descend. Such little faith!

Zach and Rose suddenly found themselves standing right outside Titans Tower's doors. Even though it was around noon, the sun was nowhere to be seen. It hid behind thick, gray rain clouds that blocked out the whole sky above them. The land was covered with a thick mist that rose up from the ocean surrounding the small island.

"I thought for sure he would send us to the wrong place," Zach said.

"Me too," Rose admitted. They checked out their surrounds for a second. The Tower loomed over them, almost hauntingly because of the chilling mist and the luminous dark clouds floating above. Zach looked up at the giant T and hoped it wouldn't rain on them.

The door was locked and no one came to open it as the two pounded loudly on the chilly metal. Finally the two sat down on the cold gravel with tired sighs. They were surprised when a black opening appeared in front of them and another journal was delivered. Silently, the teens leaned closely together to warm themselves as they began to read the next segment of their friend's messed up life.

A/N: I'm finally going back to Gene's POV. It's going to be hard writing for Red X again. In my Switched Lives fic I actually created the real identity of the guy behind the mask. But in this fic I can't do that again. I can only keep him as Red X. Aw! But the next chapter should be fun! I should have it finished in maybe two or three weeks. I'm swamped with homework now that school started. Please review! Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14 The Object To Bid On

A/N: I'm surprised how quickly I came up with this chapter. Maybe being bored out of your mind in school really lets you think about what to do for fan fics. And the Teen Titans movie motivated me too. It was a lot better than what I expected, even though I don't like the Robin and Starfire pairing. Starfire can be cute at times, though. Okay, enough of my nonsense! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Teen Titans. The rest is my own creation.

Chapter 14

Journal 4: Part 1

How could things go so wrong? One second I was happy and safe in Titan Tower's warm infirmary; the next I'm waking up to a total nightmare! I should have known. If you counted the times I've had a glimpse of hope in the past two weeks, every time its come crashing down when it is at its highest. It seems like my life lately has just been one, big rollercoaster. I'm either up or down. It's been driving me crazy!

Let me go back to the time I sent you my last journal. I was so tired at that point that I pretty much passed out the second I was done. It was kind of weird. I remember looking up when I was done writing and saw all the Titans looking in through the window at me. It was kind of funny when they all tried to hide when I spotted them.

I quickly took that small opportunity to send you the journal. It surprised me how easy it was to send it this time. I guess I'm getting better at my powers. But it was that second my portal vanished that I remember feeling really faint. The world was one giant fuzz ball, and I suddenly couldn't control myself. I passed out in seconds. I guess I was really that tired. Well, I did stay up all night.

At the beginning of my long, deep sleep, I remember some really graphic nightmares. These weren't normal dreams. They felt real, as if I was actually there. They were so vivid that I could smell and feel the things around me.

The dreams only consisted of short flashes of a scene. Most of them actually had Slade in them. Some of them I was fighting him while others I was running away. But I could feel the wind brush against my face and the cold sweat drip down my back as I pumped my legs to get away from Slade.

The ones I was fighting him I can clearly remember my high speed thoughts as the man came at me with a Staff. The whole time in those I had a chill in my spine. Both versions the whole time fear was shooting though me. That man seriously freaks me out. These nightmares weren't helping me get over my fear of him.

But some of the flashes consisted of a large, red four-eyed demon sitting on a throne. His throne was surrounded by hot, bubbling lava and black ash debris. Nothing was living in those visions. I was always running through the broken, fallen streets filled with crumbling buildings. The air was a mix of heat waves filled with smoke that wanted to make me gag. These somehow were more frightening than Slade himself.

After that long and painful line of visions, I plummeted into darkness. It was a welcoming feeling after seeing all those dreams of Slade, the demon, and the broken city. My shadowy surroundings weren't foreboding at all. I relaxed as I hovered in my dark space. I could just feel myself rejuvenate as the time slowly went by.

I don't know how long I was out. It seemed like days that I was sleeping. But finally I felt myself slip back to consciousness. I expected to wake up in the Tower's infirmary, but I was dead wrong.

My eyes slowly flittered open. I was very disoriented at first. I was sitting in a chair. That was all my brain could compute. It took a few seconds for my head put some pieces together. I remembered where I had passed out and concluded that this was definitely not that place. A flare of panic flashed through me.

I looked up with a gasp. I swore into the gag wrapped tightly around my mouth. I was in a medium sized, open living room. The floors were all wooden. A large plasma TV screen sat off to my right. Millions of DVD's surrounded the TV stand in a very messy, unorganized manner. The rest of the room had large leather couches. A retro, glass coffee table was placed next to the biggest couch, which held my captor. A half empty pizza box sat on it with an open laptop.

My captor was clearly sleeping. He was sprawled out on his expensive couch in some kind of black uniform with a red X on his chest, gray gloves and boots, and a skeleton-like mask. His head was leaned up against the couch's arm rest. His mask was pulled up so the only exposed skin I could see was his open mouth and his nose. He was snoring pretty loudly; that is how I could tell he was sleeping.

I was slightly glad that the person who had me wasn't Slade. But this guy could have been working for the man anyways. Whatever the deal was, I sure wasn't in control or where I wanted to be. Actually, my biggest question at this point was how I had gotten there or how long had I been out.

With my captor down, I was free to spend time putting some escape plans into action. It's amazing how quick I could think in these kinds of situations now. Lately, my brain has been opened up to a lot of deep thoughts. But at the moment, I had to deal with what was going on. I was tied down to a rusty, silver metal chair. My hands and also my feet were tightly tied to the chair. The person sure knew how to make escaping difficult. It got worse.

The second I tried pulling at the knots keeping my wrists together, I heard a soft click. My eyes flew open, and I leaned my head back to see what had happened. My tied hands were right in front of a motion detector connected to a large stereo system behind me. I could hear the CD changer click as it spun, searching for the right slot. I glanced at the volume and swore again. It was at full blast!

Seconds later, the room exploded in loud, surround sound rock music. I watched in despair as my captor was forced awake. He gave a sharp gasp as he sat up straight on the couch. He rubbed his chin and calmed himself down from his rude awakening. After a minute of staring at the clock on one of the walls, the guy yawned and picked up a remote from the table. With one click, the pulsating music stopped, and the room was once again quiet as a monastery. He had also turned off the motion detector.

"I'm never going to get this paper done," the guy muttered to himself. He glanced down at his open laptop with a long sigh then finally closed it up with another tired yawn.

This whole time my ears are ringing from the blasting music. I struggled some more in my ropes, but it was futile. The person who tied me to the chair was some expert boy scout or something. The knots only managed to get tighter the harder I pulled. They were starting to chaff my skin, almost to the point of bleeding.

"Awake, I see," my captor said as he looked up at me. I grunted into my gag as I unproductively pulled at my ropes again. The guy got up and walked over to me with his face expressionless. I glared coldly at him. A knot formed in my stomach as he bent down to my eye level.

I held my breath as the guy suddenly grabbed my chin with a gloved hand. He silently moved my head around with his hand on my chin and looked at me with his masked eyes narrowed. He finally let me go while tilting his head to the side, in what I guess was confusion. He then walked around my chair a few times, searching for something.

"What happened to all your bruises and scars?" he finally asked. He grabbed the rope tied to my wrists and pulled it upwards. I cringed as the ropes rubbed up against my skin. I glared back at him but then saw what he was talking about. My hands had gotten burn marks and scratches from the hot pavement in the theater parking lot a few days ago. When I saw my hands now, they were gone.

My captor let my hands go with a perplexed sigh. He walked into the middle of the room and pulled down his mask to cover his chin. He turned around and stared at me for a few seconds. I avoided his gaze while squirming in my holds. I was starting to get frustrated. I had so much energy from my long sleep, but I couldn't relieve it. I couldn't even let it out by yelling. The gag prevented me from saying anything.

"Don't worry, kid," my captor said suddenly, "you're in good hands till I sell ya'. The biddings are extremely high! It's amazing how much money some of these guys are paying for you!"

"What?" I yelled into my gag. My eyes flew open as I received this stunning information. I thought this guy was some hired assassin or mercenary for Slade because the Hive Five had failed. Now he was some auctioneer with me as the prize. I was already sick of being considered as an object more than a person. Now I literally was one!

I put my foot down right there and freaked out. I desperately struggled to get free. I didn't want to be bought as some high possession, destined to live in a glass box as a show case till who knows when. And what if Slade actually was the highest bidder? I didn't even want to think about that.

"Hey, he talks!" my captor said happily. "Calm down, kid," he told me when seeing me struggle. He rushed over to me and held my shoulders down to stop me. "Jeez, what did I say to make you freak out? Just calm down so I don't have to knock you out or something."

I shook my head and resisted him by shoving his hands off my shoulders. I managed to get one of my legs free. The second it was out of its binds, I kicked my captor in the shin, hard. He cried out in surprise and pain while backing away from me. I brought my foot up and used it to push myself up off the chair.

"No!" I shouted at the guy as he simply walked behind my chair and pulled it down before I could get my arms over the back of the seat. I cursed as my chair and I fell back and smashed onto the floor. My arms and hands took the full blunt of the hard fall. My head hit the wooden floor and sent stars exploding across my vision. Now I was staring up at the ceiling with my arms and hands pinned behind me.

"Calm down," my captor ordered. He looked down at me with narrowed eyes. He must have been pissed that I had kicked him. But I did what he told me anyways. I had to remember that I wasn't in control of anything at this point. He would be the one calling the shots. My freak out was done, and I was thinking clearly again.

My captor shook his head with a chuckle. "You okay now, kid?" he asked me as he bent down next to my head. "I'm not going to do anything to you unless you make me. I like playing nice thief, understand?"

I nodded slightly with a small wince. My arms pinned under my chair were aching and my shoulders felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. I wasn't in the most comfortable position.

"Good," the guy said with a nod. He stood back up and walked over to tie my leg back to the chair again before sitting me back up in the up, right position. My captor stood in front of me and was once again looking me up and down. "I don't understand why anyone would be after you. It looks like you're only middle school small stuff. But if Slade wants you, you gotta be important."

I narrowed my eyes on him and shook my head vigorously. The poor guy had no idea what he was walking into. Even though he had stupidly kidnapped me, the dude wasn't like Slade. He wasn't out to torture me. He only wanted money, so he wasn't psychotic, just selfish. But he sure wasn't going to get any reward with Slade down my back, that's for sure. The thief was now a problem to Slade, and he would be dealt with. I felt kind of sorry for the dude…but not too much. He _was_ my kidnapper.

"Have something to tell me, kid?" my captor asked. Curiosity was getting to him. He reached out to my gag then paused, thinking about what he was doing. He pulled his hand back and told me, "If I take the gag off, you need to promise me you won't cry for help and answer my questions. Promise?"

I nodded. Behind my back I crossed my fingers. If he wanted me to stay quiet that meant if I did yell, there would be others that would hear me close by. This must have been his first kidnap. No real kidnapper would just randomly take the kid's gag off.

My captor walked behind me and started to untie my gag. He was walking past me when I suddenly yelled as loud as I could, "HELP!" My captor jumped in surprise before rushing back behind me. I didn't even get to shout anything else. The guy had the gag back on me in seconds.

"Oh, you're a tricky one, kid," he hissed into my ear from behind. "How tight do you want this gag to be? I'll give you one more chance at this thing. If you screw it up again, I'm putting this gag back on you and leaving you here with nothing to eat for 24 hours."

Slowly, the thief took my gag off me again. I glanced up at him then back to the ground. I didn't know if I should have believed him when he said he would just leave me there for 24 hours. I liked pushing my luck, but I didn't want it to fall off the cliff.

"You have food?" I asked him hopefully. He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow, and I smiled back up at him. "I haven't eaten in hours! Get me some food and I'll talk."

"This is a trick, right?" he asked, suspiciously. He stood in front of me and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Or do you have mood swings or something?"

"You want to know the truth?" I whispered with a sly smile. My captor narrowed his masked eyes at me but leaned down to my eye level to hear it with a sigh. "I'm starving!" I yelled at him. The guy quickly covered my mouth with a gloved hand, fighting the urge to smash my face in.

"What is your problem?" he asked me in a harsh whisper. I could just feel the frustration coming off him. I understood where he was coming from. I was being so weird and random right now. If I hadn't freaked out a few minutes before, I'm sure my actions wouldn't have been so odd for him. I was kind of scaring myself with my strangeness, but this was just part of my plan to get him out of the room, even if it was only for a minute.

"I'm just hungry," I murmured.

"I hate kids!" the thief muttered. He let me go and started walking out of the room with an aggravated sigh. "If its food you have to have, then I'll get it for you. Just don't spaz while I'm gone." He then disappeared through the arched doorway that I guessed held the kitchen.

"Finally!" I muttered under my breath. I quickly went into action. I wiggled my feet around the legs of the steel chair, mimicking the technique I did before when I got that one free. It didn't take long for me to duplicate what I had done earlier. In seconds, both my legs were free.

I pushed off my seat with my feet and stood up on the chair. Carefully, I jumped off and tip-toed over to the other archway. I kept my eyes glued to the kitchen. The soft clatter of silverware was the only sound in the whole house. I was just thankful the place was new; therefore, my footfalls didn't make the floorboards squeak.

As soon as I was behind the wall of the other room and out of my captor's eye sight, I dropped to the floor and struggled to get my hands from behind me to in front of me by slipping them under my butt. It took some sweat to do so, but I was rewarded after a minute of twisting and pulling. I refrained from gasping for breath when I was done. I didn't know how hard just doing that could be.

I stood back up, trying to even my heavy breathing. It was at this time that I took in my surroundings of this new room. It was a weight room. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. A treadmill was in one corner. Small lifting weights were lined up in another corner. A bench pressing thing was right next to me, and the wall it was facing toward was covered with heavy, round weights.

Another small arched doorway was on the other side of the room, next to the treadmill. It led to a small, dimly lit foyer. I noticed the many locks on the door in the small room. I sure wasn't getting out of there through the front entrance. A window would be my best bet. But I hadn't seen one. Surely there had to be a window in this house!

A red haze whizzed by my head suddenly. I gasped in surprise and took a step back. The expertly thrown weapon lodged itself into the floor beside the bench press silently. I looked over to where the thing had come from, and my stomach did a flip. My captor had caught onto my little escape plan. Now he was standing at the doorway with his eyes narrowed into dangerous, white slits.

"No more games, kid," he growled. He took out three red X's from what seemed like nowhere. He held them in front of his face, ready to throw at a moment notice. This wasn't going to end well.

_To Be Continued..._

A/N: Some real sweet action is coming up! Red X and Gene go at it! I have it all planned out, but I can't give it to you because it would make this chapter WAY too long for my liking. And I want to ask you guys if you would go to my profile page and scroll all the way down to upcoming fics and tell me if you like that sum to my humor/mystery fic. Tell me if you would like to see it because I'm still unsure if I should post it. Thanks! And please review!


	15. Chapter 15 Frying Pan of Death

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a long time. My mind has been playing with different plot lines. Well, here is my full action chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is Teen Titans, that all belongs to DC comics.

Chapter 15

Journal 4: Part 2

_Continuation…_

He struck without any warning at all. I gave an alarmed yell as I tried to dive out of the way of the incoming X's. My shoulder hit the wooden floor, and I managed to dodge two of the three flying razors. The third one sliced through some of my shoulder, forcing a small muffle of pain from me.

My captor didn't give me time to recoup. He jumped high into the air, clearly ten times more experienced at this fighting thing than I was. I quickly put myself together and rolled out of the way, ignoring the strong sting in my shoulder. He landed right where I had been lying and pulled out three more X's. I got to my knees and knocked down the bench as a shield against the flying X's.

I wasn't going to get anywhere if I played defense this whole time. I decided to fight back with whatever I had. My eyes settled on the wall of weights. I sprung to my feet and pulled five, small weights off their pegs. I spun around and threw one like I would a discus for track and field.

That first one didn't do much damage because I had forgotten my hands were tied up. I ducked as more X's were thrown back at me. The dangerous things whizzed over my head and lodged into the wall behind me, barely making a sound. I quickly adapted to my small disability and threw another weight at the thief.

The guy's eyes widened for a second as he saw the airborne weight coming toward him. He avoided it by swiftly cart wheeling to the side. The weight smashed into the floor and made a dent in the polished wood. He then had to duck because I already had another one soaring at him. By the time I had thrown my last weight, my captor was fed up with me destroying his house. Four dents were in his floor and the fifth weight had destroyed some of the far wall.

I smiled dryly at my captor as we both stood across from each other, catching our breath for a second. He then held up a gloved hand with a red X in the palm. I already had somewhat of a prediction of what he was doing and hardly had enough time to sum up enough emotion to make my black shield.

Red goo shaped as X's shot out of my captor's palm and roughly splattered repeating against my force field. The harsh impact made the goo fling everywhere. The pasty stuff was all over the walls, ceiling, and floor now. The only thing not covered in it was me.

My captor was staring at me with his masked eyes wide in shock. I let go of my emotions, and my protection vanished into thin air as mysteriously as it had appeared. But I didn't fully leave my emotions behind. In the back of my head I kept mulling over a few of them, so when the right time came, I could tap into them faster. It was something of a technique I was thinking of when stuck in that cage in the Hive Five's hideout for so long.

"You're just chuck full of surprises, kid," my captor muttered at me. His eyes narrowed again as his mind fell back into battle mode. I instinctively went into a fighting stance in a slight crouch, ready to dodge if he threw another X.

I'm kind of surprised at how focused I was, now that I think back to it. For days my mind has been spinning in confusion, but when I'm in these tight, physical situations my brain works so perfectly. Everything slips away to the back of my head and the moves I or my opponent makes is clear and sometimes predictable.

I was caught off guard when my captor ran at me. I didn't expect any close combat this soon. He came at me with razor blades shaped as X's on his gloves. I bared my teeth as I waited for the right time to dodge his attack. Just as his fist with the X razor on it was hurled at me, I quickly ducked while throwing up my bound hands in its way. The sharp blade sliced through my ropes, making me a completely free kid.

Having my hands liberated didn't mean I was out of danger, though. Just as soon as the first fist was thrown, another was already coming in from the side. I rolled backwards to get out of the way of both simultaneous attacks. As soon as I was out of my tight roll, I had my head up to see what else this thief had in store for me.

For the next few minutes it was a whirlwind of complicated moves coming from my captor. I had difficulty just quickly coming up with ways to protect or dodge his attacks. He was swift and rapid in his motions. His style kind of reminded me of Robin's for when he fought the Hive Five that one time, just that Robin's is smoother than and not as strict as this guy's.

It was when I got backed into a corner with no means of escape or defense that my body finally got past its worn out stage and into another one. My head hit against the hard wall before my shoulders slammed into it. I could barely stand as I gasped for breath, praying for a way out. My eyes glanced up and widened as I saw my captor raise his hand with the razor blade. I squeezed my eyes shut as I saw it coming down towards me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes when I realized my captor hadn't sliced my head off. The razor had bore into the wall not even an inch away from my forehead. I looked at the red blade beside me for a second before averting my eyes back up to my captor with confusion flashing in them. He could have so easily killed me there if he wanted to. Why hadn't I done anything to stop him?

My problem was that my life could have ended there, and I didn't even try to save it. I didn't even try to raise a hand up to retaliate against my death. It was sad to know that the only thing I did in the face of death was close my eyes and prepare for it. Had my life really gotten so bad that I didn't care about it? It really did scare me that I didn't value my existence anymore. It is human nature to have self preservation. It is bore into your head since day one. Had mine worn off?

It was that second that I knew my way of thinking would have to change. The past few days I have been too focused on what had been going on around me at that very moment way too much. I just didn't think that my life could have ended at any time. I went with the flow and improvised many times. I wasn't prepared for anything. I hadn't thought of my future even once. I guess I just thought of everything as some dream that would one day go away.

It was time to kick this new brain of mine into high gear. I needed to accept that I wasn't a dumb middle school student anymore. Life had given me a curve that I would have to adapt to, and if I didn't go with it I could end up dead. I needed to look forward.

I can't go back to Pennsylvania and go to middle school with you guys anymore. I'll get lucky if I even go to school. I have no relatives or real parents that I know of. That old life of mine is dead, and I can never get it back again. The best thing to do is think about restarting a new one. I'm a new person; a new life will have to come with it.

"You thought I was going to kill you, didn't you, kid?" my captor asked. He leaned forward till both our noses almost touched. I was forced to look straight into his masked eyes. My whole body shook partly from my brush of death and also from exhaustion. I hated feeling so weak and pathetic all the time, like I did now. That also needed to change.

"I'm not going to kill you, but I'm not afraid of getting your butt back into that chair and tying you back up by any means possible," my captor said with a harsh tone in his voice. "We can do this the easy way, which would be you willingly sitting down. We can also keep at this fight that you are right now losing, which would be the hard way. Your choice, shrimp."

I stared back at him with my eyes narrowed and my jaw clenched. "I'm not some object to be sold," I told him with a scowl. "I'm not going to willing be an eBay item. You're gonna have to force me back into that chair!"

My captor pulled the blade out of the wall with a disgusted sigh. "It's just business, shrimp," he muttered before sheathing the blade and throwing a punch. I ducked while looking past him to the wall with the weights. I pored out a great deal of emotion as I whispered my powerful mantra.

My left hand burst into black flames, and I could feel it connected to the giant weight on the opposite end of the room. I found it easier than moving my backpack this time. With a small battle yell, I slammed my hand into the wall my back was pressed up against. The heavy weight turned black, consumed with my mysterious power and flew off its peg and at my captor who ready to strike in front of me.

I dropped to the floor right before the weight rammed into my captor. He gave a cry of pain as he smashed into the wall and got the air knocked out of him. My feet were quickly under me, and I was sprinting to the front door as the guy was down for the count.

The door was just covered with locks. I sighed in frustration and forcefully pulled up some more emotion. One by one, I used my dark powers to vigorously pull and yank off the locks. Using my powers at this stage still leaves me worn out. Sense my body was already spent; I had difficulty focusing enough emotion on each lock.

The almost soundless wiz of incoming X's alerted me that my captor was back up. I crouched down and sprung off the wood floor. I pushed my feet against the door while in mid air to help me complete my flip. The X's struck the floor and door where I had been. I landed next to the one on the floor and took off into the next room to avoid another attack from my captor.

I found myself in the kitchen. Counters surrounded a small island. There were some dirty dishes almost rotting in the rusty sink. The refrigerator hummed off to my side. Old magnets hung up a few small pictures of family or friends. But the counters were left barren. Little to no cooking utensils adorned the room. I could tell this guy was someone who preferred take-out.

With a grim expression on my face, I rounded the island and slid to a stop on my knees as more X's flew over head. They embedded themselves deeply into some wooden cabinets. I yanked a few drawers open while still bending down. I hoped to find some kind of eating utensil to throw at my captor, but I found no such luck. The drawers were just as empty as the rest of the kitchen.

"I thought you were out of steam!" my captor yelled at me. It was clear to me that I had made him madder than a hornet by throwing that weight on him. He rushed into the room with more of those X's in his hands. My eyes zipped around the room, searching for any weapon to use against this guy.

"I'm full of surprises, remember?" I shouted back at him from behind the island. I spotted a large bowl holding some rotting fruit in the middle of the island and smiled slyly to myself. I stood up and lunged for the bowl and grabbed it. Two X's were quickly thrown at me. One missed while the other skimmed my hand. I was lucky it didn't lodge itself there.

With a wince, I ducked behind the island. The back of my hand was sliced open. I bit my lower lip as I saw the blood slowly leaking out of my new wound. The gash provoked an extra boost of emotion. With a loud yell, I stood up from behind the island with both my hands bursting into black fire that enveloped my arms up to my elbows.

The various fruits on the ground instantly turned dark as they were devoted by my power. They flung themselves at my captor at such tremendous speeds that he barely had time to get over the shock and dodge. My surprised captor gave sharp yells as she jumped and flipped out of the way of the speeding fruit. The produce splattered roughly onto the counters, wall, and cabinets behind him. Orange and apple juices hurled into the air and was combined with soft bunches of exploded bananas.

"Over here!" I called over to my captor with an amusing smile crossing my features. The dude realized no more fruit was being hurdled at him and stopped to look confusingly over to me. I pulled my arm up to bring up the porcelain bowl the fruit used to be in. With a flick of my hand, I had that thing flying toward him.

The bowl smashed into my captor's face with a loud smash. The guy dropped to his hands and knees with a sharp cry of pain. As the guy was down for a second, I searched the cabinets for any other weapon I could use in this fight. This time I was fortunate enough to find a large frying pan. It was pretty heavy, but it would have to be my makeshift shield and club.

With a small gasp of surprise, I spun around with my pan raised high as I heard the battle cry from my captor. He jumped off the island and was already in position to kick me right in the face when I brought the pan up for protection. The ponderous metal of the pan vibrated as his foot slammed right into it. The thing was almost knocked out of my hands!

"Boy, you're a pain in the ass!" my captor hissed at me while advancing with a fist raised high. I gritted my teeth and brandished my hefty weapon quickly to block the series of blows. I was surprised with myself at how fast I was able to fend him off.

After a few more punches and kicks from my captor that I managed to evade, the guy stood back with his eyes narrowed in pure annoyance. We had a five second truce where we heaved heavy breaths for air. I flexed my hand with the wound with a wince. Boy was it stinging like mad!

"I guess you're wishing you never had a frying pan in your kitchen right about now, huh?" I asked my captor with a wide, over confident grin. His only response was taking out some more of those red X's of his. "Or maybe you're wishing you never put me up on eBay," I tried with my smile weakening. I took a few steps back and held up the pan to protect myself.

"Shut up and pass out or something, shrimp!" my captor yelled in frustration. He threw three of the X's in his slight rage, all of which I was able to block.

"There has to be some other option here," I shouted back, now mad that nothing was stopping this guy from attacking me. "I know you don't want to auction me off to someone. You know it's inhumane."

"Trying to convert me, kid?" my captor asked with a sharp laugh. Our battle yells echoed throughout the kitchen as he came at me with some more kicks and punches. This time I took the liberty to play a little offense. I swung my pan at my captor like I would a sword or something. I got him a few times, but he also managed to get a few good punches in too. We ignored our sores and bruises and kept at it.

Our battle slowly started to speed up as it raged on. We were all over the kitchen by now, attempting to come up with quick ways to get the opponent either down or out cold. As if I was some Jedi knight, I swiftly swung the pan in multiple directions. My captor was jumping and twisting around me to either dodge or to get me off guard.

It was like back in Slade's hideout. The spark and life of the battle just seemed to rush through me, highlighting every sense in my body. The feeling excited everything in me. Even though at times the beating hurt and the scars stung, it just enhanced the fight. I couldn't help but grin slightly. I wished this feeling would never go away.

All of the sudden, the intense battle came to a crashing halt. The loud ding sound of the doorbell lightly echoed throughout the apartment like a sweet wind chime calming the waters of a rough sea storm. We both paused in our attacks, twisting our heads around to the door in bewilderment. I was somehow on the island, flourishing my pan high above my head to beat down on my captor. At the same time, he was on the ground with both his arms raised in a block.

"Not good," my captor whispered to himself. The bell rung softly again, but this time it sounded more eerie than peaceful. I hesitantly dropped my raised arms and gave a weary glance down to my captor. If it were the Titans or Slade they would have charged in without a care in the world. The person or persons on the other side of the locked door were different.

Without warning, the door was forcibly plowed open with a loud bang that made both of us cringe. A dozen or so men clad in all black poured into the apartment with guns drawn. My captor swore loudly before throwing a few X's toward the men taking aim at both of us. The X's all exploded on impact, sending up large clouds of gray smoke.

"Move!" my captor yelled sharply at me while yanking me down to the floor. I gave an alarmed yell at the sudden pull on my shirt which made me fall off balanced and drop my pan. I was dragged behind the island right as the men opened fire on us. I squeezed my eyes shut and put my hands over my ears. The deafening sound of bullet fire ripped from all around me. Seconds later, the cabinets looked like Swiss cheese.

"Who are these people?" I shouted to my captor who had now saved my life. I heard the dreaded clicks as the guys behind us quickly reloaded.

"No clue, kid," the thief yelled back. Both our ears were ringing profusely. "I thought you would know. All I can tell you is that they are organized like some government team. We aren't getting out of this mess through the front door."

"Duh," I pointed out sarcastically with a small frown on my face. The situation had quickly changed. The odds had been swept away, and alleys had been altered drastically. I was still trying to get my head around that my captor was now on my side and not out to get me. "Don't you have a window?"

"Duh," the thief said while pointing at the small window across from us where the sink was. "Don't get all smart-ass on me, shrimp. I'm still calling the shots, here. Follow me and we might be able to shake these dudes off."

I gasped when another round of bullets ripped into the already destroyed cabinets. Splinters and smoke sprayed all over me and the thief. Finally, the blaring sound stopped and the house was dead quiet. I glanced up to the thief beside be before slowly pulling the pan I had dropped toward me with my foot. I used its smooth reflective side to see what was going on behind us.

A woman in a long, black trench coat walked briskly into the room. Her brown hair was put up in a tight ponytail that seemed to make her face stretch. Her sharp, cold eyes focused on the pan I was using to see her. Her slightly warped reflection in the pan didn't distort the foreboding feeling I got when seeing her. In a flash, she had her pistol raised. A single bullet shot was heard as she shot the pan dead center.

"Whoa!" I yelled in start. I threw the pan away from me with a grim expression on my face. I pressed my back against the island, trying to calm my now racing heart. The thief and I shared worried glances and waited for the ones behind us to make the next move with anxious minds.

"Red X and Gene Summers," the lady declared sharply. Her tone was military like, commanding for full attention from both of us. "You two are under arrest."

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I'm thinking about posting my new mystery Teen Titan fic next weekend. I'm gonna try and start to sum this fic up quickly so I can't focus more attention on my new one. But please review! Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16 Pathetic Try to Levitate

A/N: With school I've gotten next to zero time to type my fan fictions. Sorry that I've been lacking extremely in that area. It doesn't help that for my creative writing class we are now writing short stories and I have to put all my writing focus into that instead of my fics. Oh well, at least I'm not just quitting on my fics. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Teen Titans.

Chapter 16

Journal 4: Part 3

_Continuation…_

"Oh! This is just dandy!" Red X muttered sarcastically more to himself than to me.

"At least you have a reason to be arrested," I whispered back at him with distain. "I don't even know what I did to deserve this crappy punishment!" The thief looked down at me with a raised eyebrow in either confusion or interest; it's hard to interpret expressions when that person has a mask on.

"Surrender now or my squad will be forced to open fire again," the strict woman behind us shouted harshly. I cringed at the sound of the cocking of guns. She wasn't kidding, unfortunately.

I didn't know exactly what to do at this point. On one hand, I could stand up and talk with these police guys in high hopes of working the random arresting thing out peacefully with them. But then there was that chance that they wouldn't care what I had to say and pulverize me with bullets so I would end up like the cabinets around me which looked similar to splinters at the very moment.

Evidently, Red X already had figured out what he was going to do to get out the mess. It was just bad luck that his whole plan of escape depended solely on me.

"Hey! What are you – ah!" I cried as the thief forced me to my feet by yanking on my hair. I was afraid he was going to make me bald or something by the way he wrenched me up. Before I could protest or the guys with the guns could shoot, Red X had an arm wrapped around my neck while the other by my side with the X razor pressed against my stomach.

"Shoot and he's dead!" he yelled at the police woman and her trigger happy gun squad. The lady's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits of pure hatred. I would have shivered from the coldness of her stare, but I was too busy avoiding getting my stomach sliced open.

"I thought you were on my side!" I screamed at Red X. I cringed slightly as my anger toward him flew from my body for a second. One of the light bulbs above a dude with a gun exploded from my uncontrolled power and sprinkled glass on top of the stunned guy.

"I wasn't on anyone's side, shrimp," Red X whispered sharply into my ear from behind. I flinched as the blade sliced through my shirt and rubbed against my skin. The cool blade against my heated skin sent an unwanted shiver down my spine. I had to fight against the instinct to get my butt out of there. "Don't move," Red X told me emotionlessly.

My heart rate was sky rocketing by now. I stared at the police woman aiming her pistol in our direction. My stomach seemed to leave me as I saw _it_ in her eyes. She didn't care about safety. She was going to shoot!

"Don't you dare, lady!" Red X yelled at her. The tone of his voice told me he was almost desperate. He had seen the crazy look in her cold eyes as well. She cocked her pistol with a foreboding look coming to her features. "You got to be kidding me," he hissed to himself. Apparently, he hadn't predicted this kind of outcome. I sure hadn't either.

Suddenly I felt a searing pain on my side. Without warning Red X had kept true to his threat. He ran the edge of the red blade across my side right below my rib cage. The pain was almost agonizing. I gave a loud shout of pain as the wound seemed to flare. Red X let me drop to the splinter covered kitchen floor on my hands and knees. I lightly pressed my hand against the wound and stared in shock at my own warm blood dripping down my fingers. I was in trouble.

Red X crouched down to my eye level as the gun squad fired again. He grabbed a fist full of my hair again and hissed into my face, "This is how's it going to go down. You have Raven's powers. That means if you get angry enough you can do anything with them for a short while. If you don't get angry soon, I'm going to force you."

"I'm not your dog. I can't sum up that much anger on command!" I told him.

"Think of something, kid, or we're dead," the thief said, glaring daggers at me. "Here's a good thought to chew on…your crappy life so far."

I glowered at him, wishing he would just shut up. The pain in my side wasn't helping my situation. I was quickly loosing blood and was getting dizzy. If I didn't stop the blood flow I could pass out. I almost just wanted that to happen, but self preservation had finally kicked in, and I was determined to set my life back on track.

I coughed as the gun fire created a cloud of smoke and dust. The cabinets around us were smothered into saw dust. If I didn't act, Red X and I could end up the same way. The police woman was now despising us because of that stupid stunt Red X pulled. I would bet she wouldn't hesitate to blow the thief's head off at this point.

"I should just kill you now or something," Red X said to me. "If you don't become some use to me soon I'll seriously get rid of you, shrimp! You listening?" He asked while shoving me against the island. "What makes you the most pissed? C'mon! Think!"

"Stop yelling at me!" I yelled at him which didn't make sense to either of us. Yelling at someone to stop yelling was just pointless, but I was getting deeply frustrated at his actions. "I'm freaking trying!"

"Well try harder! Tick tock. Time's a wasting. I'd say I'm getting old but we won't get a year older if we're dead in the next few seconds!" Red X said, his face in mine, invading all my personal space. I closed my eyes to block him out, but then the pain exchanged places with him and I winced.

Suddenly I broke that boundary in my head between being in control and loosing it all. I remember everything what I did but I wasn't in any control. I opened my eyes as my body suddenly burst into black flames. Red X backed away with slight fear spreading across his masked eyes. Even though I was mad at him I remember desperately screaming at my body to not hurt him. I needed to focus on the others behind me.

My body stood up and slowly turned around. The black flames that had consumed my whole body and threatening to take over my very mind flickered dangerously around the air silently. I stopped all the bullets aimed directly at me by simply putting up a large force field. With a small push of my hand I made the black shield slam right into the gun squad and police woman, forcing them all to the ground.

I turned back to Red X and saw him standing there with shock on his face. My body started to walk toward him but I refused with my mind to go any farther with this power surge. It was too terrifying and dangerous. I was scared out of my mind of this form I was now in. My anger, frustration, and pain had triggered something deathly threatening. I never wanted to return to it again. What if I couldn't control it at all?

Just as quickly as it had started, my fire was put out and I fell to my hands and knees. I gasped for air as if I had been kept underwater for too long. The pain at my side returned with a sharp sting, sending waves of intense heat shooting in every direction from my wound. I sucked in a deep breath and tried to ignore it by looking up and searching for a way out.

I was surprised when I was met with the face of Red X. I could literally feel his smile under the mask. His relief and happiness washed over me. I couldn't help but return it with a pathetic smile. I was on the brink of passing out and I was actually smiling. Can you believe how weird I am?

"You did great, kid," he told me with a small laugh at the irony of the situation. "Just never look yourself in the mirror the next time you pull that stunt."

"I'm never doing that again," I swore to him in a whisper. I was dead serious. Having almost no control of your body is a terrifying experience. It was a good thing I didn't let my mind get controlled as well. If that had happened I don't know what state the city would be in by now.

"One last trick, shrimp," Red X said. He quickly picked me up and walked me over to the sink's window. "We need to get out of here. Know how to levitate?"

"I've only had these powers for a week! I've never tried!" I shouted madly back at him. He still expected so much out of me for some reason. At least Slade didn't expect me to have all the powers of Raven at first. Actually, that was sort of his downfall.

"A week?" Red X asked in surprise. "But you seemed like a pro back when we were fighting."

I pushed the guy away with a sigh of frustration. Wincing the whole time, I climbed onto the counter and forced the window open. I felt terribly faint. If I didn't hurry I was going to pass out right there in the kitchen. I was one hundred percent sure Red X would have left me there if I did. He was a good guy but only to an extent.

The fresh breeze from the nearby sea brushed against my body, promising sweet freedom of the confides of the building. I bit my lower lip and stuck my head outside the window to get a good quick look around. I was at least three stories up from the lazy street below. I could see Titans Tower on its island off to my right. I had to be on the outskirts of Jump City.

"How does Raven levitate?" I asked Red X while putting my head back into the room. I jumped off the counter and staggered to a cabinet in the island that held a few dishrags. I grabbed a few and wrapped then around my side to stop the bleeding. My hands shook drastically the whole time. I was wasting time.

"I'm not sure," Red X said in deep thought. We both glanced over to the gun squad and woman who were out cold. My shield must have been stronger than I had imagined. I hoped none of them were dead. I didn't want any blood on my hands.

"But you knew Raven would go out of control if she got too angry," I claimed. "How can you not know one of the more simple powers she has?"

Red X shrugged as his only defense. "I know that from watching the team for so long, shrimp," he said. "I have no clue how she flies and that crap."

"Some help you are," I muttered. "What about the front door?"

"Not likely," someone said from behind me. I spun around and saw the cold police woman there with her automatic pistol aimed in my direction. My eyes flickered upward as a red haze flew over my head. The red X lodged itself into the ceiling above the woman. Upon impact the thing exploded. The woman cried out while ducking and putting her hands above her head.

"Don't just stand around," Red X said to me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the sink. With much unknown strength or maybe with just plain adrenaline, he picked me up and shoved me out of the window. I gave a sharp yell and desperately tried to cling to something before falling. I latched onto the ledge of the window but was too weak to hang on. Red X swore loudly as he tried to grab my hand but wasn't fast enough. I was falling.

Air battered my worn body. I let out a loud scream while plummeting to what I believed to be my sudden death. My mind raced as my heart seemed to pause. I only had seconds to live.

"Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos!" I yelled, only a few feet away from doing a fatal face plant in the pavement of the street. I gasped as my body stopped and suspended me there in mid air. My heart was thumping loudly now. It took me a second or two to get my wits back together.

It was really quite easy to suspend myself there, but moving was the hard part. I shot back up to where Red X was waiting for me at the window. I went too far and he had to jump for me to catch him. I then focused on going forward and screamed as I shot through the air like a bullet. Red X was screaming as well as he clung onto my wrists.

"Stop!" he shouted at me. I glanced down at him with wide eyes of fright. I had no idea how to get back down. His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you don't know how! Just calm down and focus on the ground or something."

I shook my head and tried to think of a way to stop. I focused on a descent and smiled as my shooting path sloped downward. I then thought of simply not levitating anymore. In seconds, the connection was cut off and we were freefalling. We both landed roughly in a dirty alleyway and rolled to a stop.

Red X moaned in pain as he rested there in a cold puddle of water. The cool, damp cement of the alleyway made me shiver with every breath. I couldn't get up. I was way too weak from blood lose and my extensive power use. All I could do was roll to my back and stare up at the boiling rain clouds threatening to drench the city soon.

"Crap!" Red X swore as he got to his feet and raced over to me. I could feel his eyes look me over. His guilt and regret bombarded my thoughts and I winced. I didn't like this new power of mine. Every ones' feelings were so open to me now. I feel like I'm barging into some personal life of theirs every time I feel their waves of emotions.

"Please tell me you are in college to be a doctor or something," I muttered sarcastically up at him. He was silent as he kneeled beside me, either thinking deeply or in shock. I hoped it was the first of the two.

"She can heal herself," he thought out loud. "But not in this way."

"You're not helping, man," I told him. "Actually, you've been a real pain in my ass for the past few hours! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess!" I shot him a piercing look while snarling at him in frustration, "Either leave or do something useful!"

Red X stood back up with conflict brewing inside of him. He then kneeled back down next to me and examined my makeshift bandage I created out of dishrags. He carefully put it back together. It had loosened because of my crazy levitation flight. I winced as he tied it really tight and stood back up.

"I'm going to a payphone," he told me. "I'll call a hospital or something. The wound is not that serious. You can keep awake for at least a few more hours if the blood clots. Hang on, shrimp."

"No, I have to leave this city!" I urgently said to him. "I can't sit here waiting for help for an hour. Just help me up."

"No way!" Red X retorted. "You wouldn't be able to take two steps by yourself. You need help. I can't give it to you personally but a hospital can. Wait here for them."

I rolled to my side to make eye contact with him. If I went to a hospital Slade and any other person could look at the records and know instantly I was there. I couldn't risk that. I could not go to one. "Don't call anyone!" I shouted at the thief who was already half way down the alley.

"Sorry, kid, for everything," he called back. There was a pause as I helplessly watched him walk away. He turned again once more and said, "You were a mistake." And then he was gone as he rounded the corner. I was abandoned and alone, left there to shiver in that alley with no uplifting thoughts to help me.

I somehow managed to crawl over to a brick wall that chilled me to the bone, but I needed the support. I had left the backpack awhile ago and kept notebook papers in my side pockets of my pants with a pencil, so that is how I've managed to write all this to you. I-

I hear footsteps! That can't be good. Guys, I don't know when I'll be able to send you another note. But this won't be my last. I don't have anymore time. The footsteps are getting closer. It could be Slade.

Gene

_End of Journal Number Four_

A/N: I have the ending for this fic all planned out and I can't wait to write it. Sorry again for not updating in forever. I'll try not to wait that long for this next update. Please review! Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17 The Other Enemy

A/N: No reviews and yet I still write on. Kind of depressing, guys. And with this hits system, I know how many have been reading my fan fic. There are many of you readers out there that don't review. sigh Just frustrated, that's all. I'm like many writers. I love feedback even if it is nice or not.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Titans, Slade, or any of the settings. I wish I did, though.

Chapter 17

Robin ran a gloved hand through his hair with a long sigh. He moaned while rubbing his communicator on his forehead wearily. He felt like his emotions had been thrown into the air, and he was still trying to gather them because they were so scattered. The past few hours had been so mentally strenuous for him. It wasn't everyday he found out from his enemy that he had been cloned. Not only that, but that clone was going to destroy the world again if he wasn't properly stopped and put into rightful hands.

"Perfect," he muttered sarcastically as it began to rain. He stopped in his walk up the hill to Titans Tower and stood in the middle of the rain. The boy's raven colored hair hung into his masked eyes, running droplets of water to the end of a cluster of hairs and drop to the gravel below.

The Boy Wonder turned around and looked upon Jump City with a piece of light taken out of his usual bright eyes. The rain wasn't helping his already depressed spirits. He shook his head with a wry smile coming to his lips. At least now he had the challenge of trying not to drown in his own misery. The teen loved a challenge. Somehow the emotional ones in his life were a lot tougher than the physical ones. Was that so for the rest of the world?

In his own weird way, Robin had revised his hope somehow. With another sigh he turned back around to the Tower and continued his slow walk. The Titans had taken a small break from the Tower after they figured out where Red X was. They had agreed to let Slade go find Gene by himself only if he came back to explain things to both the boy and the Titans back at the Tower. The man was out there now looking for Gene while his friends were out in the city by themselves to have a small personal time. They had all needed time to think.

Robin stopped in his tracks when seeing two figures by the front doors to the Tower. Instinctively he took out a bird-a-rang and got into a fighting stance, on the balls of his feet with all his senses in tune to what was going on around him. He tilted his head slightly as his suspicion vanished. The two figures only stood up and stared at him through the fat rain drops falling heavily from the sky. They were harmless.

With a swift motion, Robin put his weapon back into his belt and started to walk briskly up to the pair at the Tower's doorway. The teens were shivering in the bitter cold. Robin looked them up and down in silence. Suspicion rose again in him. They weren't normal. The eyes could tell so much about a person.

"What do you need?" Robin asked them sternly.

"We have a friend who you have met," the girl said quietly but with passion. Robin folded his arms in front of him and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's Gene," the boy said audaciously, "Gene Summers. He was just captured by Red X, and we think Slade is right now going after him. You _have_ to help us find him!"

Robin stared at both of them with his face expressionless. The two teens gazed boldly back at the superhero with desperate looks upon their weary faces. The only sound was of the rain gushing from above, pelting Robin, who wasn't under the small ledge like the other two, with thick drops of water.

"Come in," Robin finally said with a soft nod. He walked to the door and the sensors in it picked up a sensor in his belt indicating for it to open. Just like all the doors to the Tower, the metal entrance slid to the side to let the teens in.

Their faded footsteps echoed throughout the large hallway. Soft splashes of water added to the noise as droplets slid off Robin's short black cape and onto the carpeted floor. The two followed silently after him, looking around the room with curious eyes. There wasn't much to see, so their eyes quickly fell on Robin ahead of them.

"Is he here, sir?" the girl asked Robin meekly.

He turned slightly around while still walking and shook his head no. "And call me Robin," he told her. "I'm just as old as you guys."

"Okay, Robin, then where is Gene?" the boy asked. He was getting apprehensive for some reason. Robin noted the two kids' personality opposites as he glanced behind his shoulder at them. He decided to ignore the boy's question for the moment. They could all wait to ask questions.

They arrived at the main room. "Please sit down," Robin said to them while nodding to the couch. "My team should arrive shortly. When they do, then we can all get some answers to this mess." He began to ring out his soaked cape.

"You didn't answer my question," the boy pointed out. Robin glanced up with annoyance. The girl was already sitting while the boy was standing next to her with a stubborn frown on his face and his arms crossed to show his hostility toward the Titan.

"Ask it when my friends are here," Robin said calmly.

"We need an answer now," the boy persisted.

"Zach," the girl scolded him weakly, "We're fine. We can wait."

"But this butt sniffer is just ignoring us, Rose," Zach hissed back. "The dude is totally…hey!" he yelled in surprise when seeing Robin standing suddenly in front of him. "What is your problem, bird brain?"

"You two," Robin answered bluntly. "Your eyes are cat shaped. You're not normal. I'm suspicious for good reasons."

"We aren't here to make trouble, Robin," Rose said while standing up. "We are just here to find Gene."

There was a pause as they all looked at each other. Robin finally glanced to the floor and asked quietly, "So that's his name? Gene?"

"Yeah," Zach muttered.

-Gene-

The teen swore under his breath while forcing his beaten body up with the support the cold brick wall behind him. He grimaced as a flare of pain gripped his side. The footsteps were steadily getting closer. They were balanced and perfect. You could time them if you wanted. That concept was what scared Gene so much. He knew the footsteps belonged to Slade.

Gene pushed off the wall and faltered on his unsteady legs before righting himself. The boy ran down the damp alley as best as he could in his pathetic condition. He swore again as he heard the footsteps switch into a run. Gene winced as he picked up his own speed.

A small glance over his shoulder told Gene he wasn't going to go very far. Slade was only a few paces behind him now. Gene gasped for breath as he desperately tried to run faster. After all what he had done he didn't want it to end like this. He had made it so far.

"Stop, Gene," Slade ordered coldly. Gene knew he was either going to be plowed down by Slade, or he could stop and save himself from doing a face plant on the coarse cement. The boy skidded to a stop as did Slade.

"So it's Gene now?" Gene asked in a growl.

Slade didn't answer him. He shot out a hand to grab Gene's wrist. He stopped short when the boy gave a sharp yell and created a black force field while taking a tentative step backwards. The teen's eyes and hands were on black fire as he used his anger to use his dark powers.

"Don't bother," Gene muttered. Just as quickly as he had stopped, Gene took off in a run. Slade narrowed his one eye in deep annoyance and went after him. He barely made it around the corner. Gene slammed into his chest with a short yell of shock. Before Slade could understand what was going on, Gene shoved him away and started to run the opposite way he had been going.

Slade looked down the alleyway to see what had scared Gene enough to make him turn around so quickly. His eye widened in surprise when seeing a woman running toward him with her automatic pistol raised. Slade took off after Gene just as the woman from Red X's apartment fired repentantly.

It was clear to Slade that Gene was slowing down from so much exhaustion. The boy was pale and gasping as he tried his best to get away from both adults. Slade was surprised the kid had made it this far. As he ran up beside the teen, Gene glanced over to him with a deadly glare. At least he was persistent.

"This way," Slade whispered suddenly. He latched onto Gene's arm and yanked him into a smaller alley. He practically dragged Gene down the narrow pathway. Slade stopped halfway down the alley where they had submerged themselves in the thick shadows. Slade forced Gene's body against the brick wall and put a hand over the kid's mouth to prevent him from making any noise.

Gene looked to the bright opening of the alley and held his breath when seeing the police woman look in. He looked back to Slade with panic in his wide violet eyes. Slade wasn't looking at him, though. His hard gaze was locked onto the woman hesitantly coming into the alley.

A crack of thunder warned them all it was going to rain soon. Water fell from the sky in fat rain drops that instantly soaked the three to the bone. The unwanted weather was the thing that changed the lady's mind to venture into the dark alleyway. She peered into the dark, searching the blackness for the two before finally giving up and holstering her gun. Soon the woman was gone and they couldn't hear her splashing footsteps.

Gene struggled in Slade's grip and yelled some muffled words into the hand covering his mouth. Slade slowly lifted his hand away from Gene's mouth. "Let go!" Gene hissed as soon as he could talk again. Slade complied silently and watched as the boy sunk into a weary sitting position on the wet ground.

"Who is that police woman?" Gene asked.

"Someone hired to find you," Slade answered. "Her name is Daphne Hawthorne, and her orders are to bring you to her client dead or alive. She might look like a respectable police woman, but she is really a bounty hunter for a secret branch of the government that takes care of everything or anyone with supernatural abilities. You are on the top of their list."

There was silence as Gene took in the information. "Okay," he said with a sigh, "Didn't think you would give me that big of an answer."

"We need to keep moving," Slade said. "She always has backup." He raised an eyebrow in confusion when hearing the boy moan and clutch his side in pain. He didn't know the kid was injured. He bent down and forced Gene's hand away from his wounded side to take a look at it.

"This time it wasn't my fault," Gene said. "That idiot, Red X, did it to save our butts back at his apartment. That crazy Daphne woman showed up there with a whole freaking gun squad." Slade watched in wonder as the kid smiled bitterly and told him, "I learned how to levitate myself. You never said I could do that."

"There are a lot of things I didn't tell you," Slade said. He grabbed the kid's shoulder and forced him to his feet while saying, "We don't have time to fix that here. We need to move."

"What's with all this 'we' stuff?" Gene asked him. With a flick of his wrist, he latched his power onto a garbage bag and plowed the thing into the man. The teen bit his lower lip to keep himself from stumbling like a drunk down the alley away from Slade.

Slade threw the ruptured garbage bag off him with his eye narrowing in frustration. He should have seen that one coming. The kid had the worst sense of trust he had ever seen. The man got to his feet and seized the back of Gene's shirt in a vice grip before the kid could take more than four steps. He heard the poor teen choke as his shirt went taught around his neck and body. Gene lost his balance and fell backwards and into Slade's hands.

"I'll scream bloody murder if you don't let me go!" Gene swore. He grunted and struggled as Slade simply dragged him down the dark alleyway. "I'm not freaking kidding. I'll scream so loud that lady will hear me and come back and take you down!"

"And she'll most likely kill you in that process," Slade said with amusement in his voice. He wanted to laugh at how grown up the boy could be when danger was staring him right in the face, yet fall apart and be such a spoiled brat when something so simple went wrong for him. Just a minute ago he had admired Gene's persistence, now he was deeply annoyed. Funny how things can change so quickly. It sometimes baffled the man.

After a few minutes of Slade just pulling Gene around different dark alleys in the poring rain, the teen calmed down somewhat and stopped struggling so much. Slade didn't know if the boy was complying because he was too weak to fight back, or if the kid was coming up with a way to escape. It didn't matter much to the man. He was just thankful Gene had stopped making things so difficult.

They stopped once they got out of alleyways and to a sidewalk and street. They were in a pretty deserted neighborhood. Few cars sped by. When they did, the automobiles crashed into many puddles, forming a perpetual wave of water on the road. Apartment windows were closed and shuttered. Warm lights from these windows made Gene long for the indoors. The freezing rain was making him shiver uncontrollably.

Slade led Gene to a parked car. It was an old rental that barely had any life in it. Gene didn't know what kind of car it was because it had so many different parts welded onto it to make it respectable enough to drive on a street. It had many paint jobs as well. One part was a dull blue while the hood was rusting silver.

Slade dragged Gene to the other side of the car and opened the front passenger door. He lightly shoved Gene into the seat while still gripping his wrist. The boy swore under his breath when Slade took out a pair of handcuffs. The man handcuffed both of Gene's hands to the handle above the door before closing the door and coming around to the driver's seat.

Gene pulled a few times on the cuffs with a defeated sigh. He paused when seeing himself in the side mirror. He didn't know he could look so pathetic. His matted black hair dripped with rain water. His face was covered in dirt and grim. He looked like he had just gone through a long and hard rugby game in the rain and mud…and his team had lost. He finally turned away, dissatisfied with what he was looking at. He wasn't going to let defeat set in.

"Where are you taking me?" Gene asked Slade once the man sat down in the driver's seat and shut the door. "You're not going to keep me up in some prison cell like the last one, are you? I'll get out of that one as well."

The only sound for a second was the rain pelting the windshield of the car. The water splattering and dripping down the glass made the world outside warped and twisted. Slade only looked at Gene. The boy finally gave up with is hostility act and lowered his gaze.

"I'm taking you back to Titans Tower," Slade answered. He saw Gene's expression turn into confusion and explained. "Because of your foolishness, the Titans knew you had something to do with me. I told them how you were a clone. They then made a deal. They showed me the fastest way to you only if I brought you back to them so I could tell them everything about you. Those curious teens just sold you out for information. Really tells you about their true character."

"You're kidding, right?" Gene asked in disbelief. "Is this another one of your sick jokes? The Titans wouldn't do that to me!"

"Why would I lie?" Slade asked.

Gene rolled his eyes and gave a grunt of disgust. "I don't know!" he said. "You just seem to like to torment me."

"And how have I tortured you, Gene?"

"Oh! Don't play nice guy with me!" yelled Gene. "First you kidnap me and throw me into a pit for a whole week. The only thing you tell me is that I'm some superhero clone. Like that's believable! My whole life has been a freaking living hell ever since the day I met you! Just two weeks ago I was most likely sleeping peacefully in my bed at home. Now I'm handcuffed to a car with a psycho path sitting next to me! That is not an improvement."

"Life comes at you fast, my dear boy," Slade said slyly back at the kid. He smiled under his mask when seeing the hurt and shocked expression Gene had when he said this. He had managed to shut up the kid so quickly. The poor teen was left completely speechless. It was very amusing on Slade's part.

Slade saw Gene painfully glance down to his wounded side. The man reached for the blood soaked rags wrapped around the boy's waist. As expected, Gene brought up the only thing he had for his defense, his foot in this case, and tried to kick Slade away with a shout warning him to back off. His stubbornness and infidelity was getting in the way of him getting his side healed.

Silently, Slade grabbed Gene's ankle before shoving the boy's foot out of the way. Swiftly he untied the binding and slowly pealed it away carefully from Gene's skin. The teen squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't stand seeing more blood.

"This needs stitches," Slade informed Gene.

"No kidding."

"But I don't have any. You'll have to get that fixed at the Tower. What were you thinking; running around an alley with the only thing to help you is dirty dish rags? You'll be lucky if you don't get an infection."

"I'm so glad to hear that you care."

A/N: I have to end it here or it will get too long for one chapter. And I'm not putting this in Gene's journal for a reason unknown to you guys till the end of the fic. My finale is coming up soon, so I'm so excited! Make sure you review! Thanks!


	18. Chapter 18 The Boy From the Clouds

A/N: Oh! You guys are going to love my sequel for this fic! It's funny how I get so excited about these things. But thanks for those few who reviewed! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Anything that is or looks like it is from Teen Titans is not mine. I barely even own Gene, Rose, and Zach because their powers are from the show.

Chapter 18

"What are you doing now?" Slade asked Gene in deep exasperation. He watched as Gene stood up in his seat and wiggled his arms around. They had been stuck in traffic for a half an hour now. Slade didn't know he could be so annoyed with someone.

"My arms are falling asleep, thanks to a certain someone," Gene muttered back. He sighed while collapsing back into his squeaky seat. He kept a perfectly straight face as he rocked the seat back and forth by pushing his feet against the dashboard.

Slade gripped his hands on the steering wheel. He suppressed a sigh of irritation. He glanced over to Gene with his eye narrowed. The boy simply smiled back at him and kept making his seat squeak loudly.

"You're acting very childish right now," Slade told Gene calmly.

"All you gotta do is ask me politely to stop," Gene said. "Oh, but you can't because of your pride issues. If you give in, that means it will only satisfy me. So you're guessing I'll have to stop sometime, and then it will mean I didn't win anything…But I'm not going to stop." He smiled wickedly and made the squeaking louder.

They stopped at a red light. Slade leaned over and grabbed one of Gene's ankles. He squeezed the kid's ankle while saying darkly, "You are not in charge. When I tell you to jump, you say…"

"…You first," Gene growled back. (a/n: got that one from _Lost_. Ha, ha.)

Slade tightened his grip on the ankle till he got the teen to wince. Gene's eyes suddenly widened in fear as he spotted something behind Slade. The man whirled around in his seat. He swore into his mask when seeing a large, white van going at around 80 mph coming straight toward them. They barely had two seconds to react, which was too short.

The van collided violently into the stationary car. Gene screamed as he squeezed his eyes shut and created a force field around his body to protect himself. Their car flipped down the street. Sparks flew as metal screeched across the pavement. Razor sharp broken pieces of glass were flung from every window. It seemed like forever till the car finally came to a stop upside down in the middle of a deserted street.

Gene chocked on smoke. He dared to open his eyes. His quick force field had worked perfectly. If he hadn't reacted so swiftly he would most likely be dead. Slowly, Gene got to his feet on the hood of the car which was now upside down. Slade was passed out beside him. The teen bit his lower lip. He couldn't panic.

Thinking quickly, Gene levitated Slade's communicator over to him and somehow managed to call up the Titans. "Please pick up," Gene hoped out loud. At that moment he didn't care that the Titans had sold him out. He desperately needed help. Slade was down, as impossible as it seemed, and he was close to powerless. The only ones he knew to call were the Titans.

-Titans-

With a deep sigh, Raven put down Gene's last journal onto the coffee table before her. The rest of the Titans besides Robin were reading the rest of them on their own. The leader was pacing behind the couch in deep thought. Raven could feel his restlessness. She tried to calm him down by sending him a calm vibe. Apparently, it wasn't working.

"Gene doesn't want to be with Slade," Zach said to all of the Titans. He was lying on his back on the carpeted floor in the middle of the living room, staring up at the tall ceiling. "So why did you guys let Slade go get him?"

"I know where Gene is coming from," Robin said as he stopped his pacing for a second. "If I was in his shoes I would be on the run too. But Gene has a power that without some training could really get out of hand and could be dangerous."

"Yeah, we got that much when he got too angry in his last journal," Zach said. "But why can't you guys train him? He could be a nice new member of your team."

"That is why we want Slade to bring him back here," Robin explained. "We made a deal with him. Slade is someone who always sticks to his word. Right now we just wait for him. I assure you he will be back with Gene."

"But he's late," Cyborg muttered from where he was reading off to the side.

"Figures," Zach grumbled under his breath.

"Its rush hour, dudes," Beast Boy said. He was reading the first journal on the couch next to Starfire, Rose, and Raven. "They could be stuck in it. Slade did rent a car or something to bring Gene back. But this is some good reading. He could be a thriller writer when he gets older or something."

Suddenly the alarm went off to indicate a distress call was being sent to them. Robin raced to the computer and typed in a few keys. After some static, the face of Gene came on the screen. The whole room seemed to be taken aback.

Gene coughed on some smoke before saying, "We need help! Some crazy person rammed their van into the car. Slade's out for a sec. I'm handcuffed and can't get out." He growled in frustration. "How do I get out of these things without a freaking key?"

"Hang on, Gene," Robin told him. "We're all on our way."

"Um…hurry," Gene said, "Because that van slammed into us going 80 for a reason, I'm sure."

Robin frowned up at Gene. Who else would be after the kid? "You okay for now?" Robin asked. The others were getting up and were either running to get a ride in the T-car or going outside to just fly there. Before Robin could say otherwise, Zach and Rose tagged along with Cyborg on his way downstairs.

"Define 'okay'," Gene muttered.

"We'll be there in less than five minutes," Robin said before hanging up.

-Gene-

He could just feel the seconds tick away. Smoke and rain mist washed over his sweaty face as he raced to get himself loose. Despair was starting to pick away at the back of his mind. At the moment, he was ramming a medium sized rock from outside the car at the handle his handcuffs were looped around. From the blood lose from the wound and his extensive power use, the kid was worn down to the end of his rope. Nothing but pure adrenaline was keeping the boy from collapsing to the glass littered floor.

Gene gave a sharp gasp for breath as he heaved the rock over his head. His damp hair clung to his perspired and dirty face. His arms were shaking from exhaustion as he brought the rock down on the handle. He paused and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

A hand came out of nowhere and latched onto Gene's arm suddenly. The boy's eyes flew open in surprise and fright of the sudden touch. He screamed when looking up. Daphne Hawthorne's blood freezing eyes bore down into the boy as her wet face contorted into a glower.

"You are coming with me," she said crisply. Her fingers dug into Gene's arm as she said this. She pulled him sharply toward her then finally realized he was handcuffed to the car.

"No way in freaking hell!" Gene yelled at her. He brought his leg up sharply and plowed it right into one of her shoulders as she was glancing down to his bound hands. She staggered backwards with a quiet grunt of unhappiness of herself not anticipating his simple move.

"Stay here," Slade said suddenly from Gene's side. The teen gave a small start at the sound of his voice.

"Like I'm going anywhere," Gene said. He stepped out of Slade's way as the man crouched down to step outside the upside down car. Gene leaned down and stared in wonder as the two adults stood there in the rain. The only communication going on between them was their hard stares. The boy was taken aback somewhat. Slade was protecting him from this woman. If he ever had to cheer for one or the other, Gene decided it would have to Slade. At least the guy wanted him alive.

Suddenly the two went at it. Gene bit his lip when he saw how fast the two had come at each other. Daphne whipped out her pistol just as Slade ran for her. As the exploding sound of gunfire hit the air, Gene watched with his heart pounding as Slade flipped right over the lady's head. Daphne spun around and ducked at the same time. Less than an inch away from her head was Slade's leg as he swung it at her in a neatly executed roundhouse kick.

Gene snapped back to his own situation after a second of watching them go at each other like kung fu masters or something along those lines. He looked down to his handcuffs and gave a long, frustrated yell. If he wasn't strapped to the car he knew he could have gotten away from there instantly. He was just lucky that the car wasn't ready to explode at any time.

"Jeez! How many people have to fight because of me anyways? When the Titans arrive I should stop counting," he muttered to himself. He grabbed his rock again and started to pound it against the handle. The plastic finally cracked. "I love progress!" Gene said with a wide grin. He knelt down and began twisting the thing to free himself.

He was seconds away from liberty when he unexpectedly heard hard footfalls outside the car coming toward him. He glanced up and swore. Daphne's firing squad had caught up with her. They were ignoring her fight with Slade and were running straight for the kid in the smashed up car.

"Swell." Sarcasm was the only thing Gene could function with at this moment. Black combo boots stopped with a large splash of water next to the totaled vehicle. The muzzle of a rifle was shoved into Gene's face as a man leaned down to claim his prize.

It took Gene a total of five minutes to break the plastic of the handle. It took one shot from another man's rifle to break the chain of the handcuffs. Gene was grabbed by what seemed like a thousand hands and pulled roughly outside the car and into the driving rain.

"Do **not** move!" the squad of men shouted harshly into Gene's face. The boy let the men ram him against the side of the car with his hands behind his back. The muzzle of the rifle was still jammed into the side of his head as a reminder of their words not to resist.

The cold metal of the car chilled Gene to the bone. Water perpetually hit him from the sky, making his hair fall into his eyes. He did nothing to protest against the men now surrounding him. "Come on, come on!" he whispered to himself. He knew it had to have been five minutes past his call to the Titans. They would be there any second now.

"What did you say?" the man holding his rifle to the boy's head shouted at him. Gene's only response was a death glare. The man raised a fist to pummel the kid that had caused the squad so much crap. Gene flinched, preparing himself for a beating.

A red flash cut through the air and lodged itself into the man's shoulder. The man gave a short cry of pain as he looked to the bird-a-rang protruding from his body. The rest of the squad looked up to see who had attacked their leader of the group.

Chaos then erupted from the squad. A sonic cannon blasted at least two of the men off their feet. A black floating trashcan smashed into three of the men and forced them into a nearby parked car. Starbolts rained down on three others, compelling them to run for cover from the beholder's fury. An ice disk finished off the squad leader. The man was soon one block of ice.

"Sorry if we're late," Robin said to Gene as he landed on top of the car. Raven and Starfire hovered in the air on his two sides. Beast Boy flew as an eagle up to Gene's side and switched to his humanoid self in mid air. He landed in a crouch next to Cyborg who had run up to the group.

"No," Gene said quietly. He was still getting his mind around the fact that he had been rescued. "You came just in time."

"Dude, you okay?" Beast Boy asked him. "You were just held at gunpoint by some drill sergeant after a pretty gruesome crash!"

Gene looked over to the changeling and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm a little shaken up, I guess," he said with a small nod.

"Gene!" two familiar voices shouted in joy. Gene turned around with eyes wide in bafflement. He was stunned into silence when he was suddenly embraced by Rose and Zach. The two friends almost knocked the kid off his feet. He was still too shocked to speak when they let him go.

"Talk, silly," Rose said with a giggle. Zach just laughed at Gene's bewildered face.

"How…how did you guys get here?" Gene asked, a smile slowly coming to his features.

"Long story," Zach said with a roll of his cat-like eyes. He hadn't seen Gene so happy in his life. The boy was smiling from ear to ear, barely able to keep his joy inside him. "You didn't think after giving us your journals that we wouldn't go after you, did you?" Gene gave a laugh. The thought of both his friends just showing up again was blowing him away.

"I thought we told you to stay in the car," Cyborg said sternly to the two. He and the Titans were touched at the reunion of the friends, but he knew safety had to be more important than them seeing each other. The whole group wasn't in the most secure location.

"We had to see him," Zach said with a shrug. "It took forever to get Rose to come with me." He glanced over to her slyly and said, "You're such a worrywart."

Robin crouched down to Gene's eye level and said firmly, "Go back to the T-car with your friends. Wait there. Do not go anywhere else, got that?"

"Yeah," Gene said with a nod. He wasn't stupid. He knew Rose and Zach could be in danger if someone attacked at the moment. "What about you guys?"

"Well, it looks like our part time friend is having some girl troubles," Beast Boy said as he watched Slade and Daphne fight. It was clear to the Titans, though, that Daphne was loosing badly. She just didn't have enough skill.

"She has something in her hand!" Raven suddenly spoke up loudly. All eyes looked up toward Daphne. Sure enough, the lady had a small device with a button on it. Before anyone could do something against it, the woman pressed it and sprinted away from Slade as if the devil himself was after her. Slade watched her go with his eye narrowed. She had sent something big after them. He knew he wasn't going to like it.

"I am confused, friends," Starfire admitted. "Was she defeated? Are we victorious?"

"Don't think so, Star," Cyborg said. "She's leaving because something else is coming in her place."

The team watched as the rest of the squad of men, who weren't knocked out cold, got up and ran after Daphne. Robin jumped off the car as the rain faded away. The rest of the Titans looked around the street with apprehension resting upon their minds.

In a whirl of harsh wind, a figure shot out of the colossal of dark clouds above them. They all watched it as it fell from the sky. Seconds away from it colliding severely against the pavement, the figure stopped it's decent as if it sat on a bed of air being blow the opposite way. The figure lightly landed in the middle of the street facing the Titans, Slade, Gene, and his friends.

The person who had fallen from the sky was around 15 or 16 years of age. His short brown hair was wind blown and spiky. He wore a white jump suit with a green stripe going down both the sleeves and pants. Small green running shoes adorned his feet. He was lithe but very sturdy looking. His lush green eyes looked at the group with evilness flashing through them. A laughing smile crept across his small lips as he stared at them, as if he was thoroughly pleased to be fighting them.

Gene fought the urge to look entirely disgusted and repulsed by the teen. The vibe coming from him just made his blood boil. He glanced over to Raven and saw that she was frowning deeply, almost angrily. She felt it too. Something was wrong with this kid now standing before them.

"No fatal force, guys," Robin whispered to his team. "We don't want to hurt him."

"What makes you so confident you'll even be able to touch him?" Slade asked. "He has the power to control the air flow around him. From what you just saw, I'd say he has complete power over his abilities. In this case, he would be like Terra, just more stable and with the desire to badly hurt all of us."

"He could still be under influence, like what Terra was at one point," Robin said.

"With that smile, I believe he's just about to have the time of his life," Slade said. "This kid is dangerous."

"We took down Terra before," Cyborg said over confidently as he saw his friends' grim expressions. Sometimes some assurance could bring up the team. "We can take this guy down, guys!"

"Okay, but Gene and his friends will stay here with Raven," Robin said. He whipped out his Bo-Staff while looking up to the waiting teen. "Titans! Go!" At those words, the rest of the team sprung into action. Slade paused before running after them. Before going, he gave Gene a short glance. Gene caught it but pretended he hadn't.

"I don't like this," Gene said quietly. Raven and his friends looked over to him in question. "I'm getting the feeling something terrible is going to happen."

A/N: Finale next chapter! I'm not sure if I should be cheering or crying. The sequel will be added on to this fic. And just to warn some of you readers, my endings are not always cheery ones. I hope that doesn't give too much away. Anywho, my next update will be sooner than you think because of Thanksgiving. Please give a review! Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19 Blood Lusting Battle

A/N: Whew! It's finale time! Sometimes I dread these chapters because it means I'm ending things, but I'm 100 percent sure I'm having a sequel, so things are okay. So get ready for an edge of your seat action chapter! I'll try not to disappoint. This chapter is long so enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the Teen Titans or Slade. I sure wished I did, though.

Chapter 19

Robin came at the kid who had dropped from the sky with his Bo Staff raised high over his head and a fierce battle yell. Sweat pored down his forehead from the past few minutes of so much work. His team had been going at this kid for more than ten minutes now, but with not luck. They hadn't even come close to touching him!

Before the kid could knock Robin down or out of the way with a massive wind current, the superhero jumped into the air, ready to whack the lights out of the other teen from above. As if he predicted the move, the teen pushed both his palms into the air above his head. All his fluent motions were him bending and twisting air and their currents to his very will.

"Starfire, now!" Robin yelled. His gut gave a small twist as air blasted strongly against his body. Soon he was flying the opposite direction. He flung his arm back and threw his Staff with a loud grunt of exertion down at the kid.

The kid didn't expect the throw and got clocked on the head with the butt of the Staff. He gave a sharp yell with a wince. He looked up at Robin with one of the meanest glares the leader had ever seen. It only made Robin grin to have been the first to hurt him. The spoiled kid needed a beating.

By now Robin was hundreds of feet above the earth. He could see the whole fight scene below him. He looked to his right as he began to plummet back to the ground. Starfire flew straight toward him and grabbed his wrists as he did hers.

He gave her a sharp nod of permission and tried to ready his stomach for the next move. Starfire blasted downward with Robin still hanging tightly to her. The kid glanced up at them with an annoyed frown coming to his features. He pushed his hands up at them. Robin tightened his hold on Starfire's wrists as an incredible blast of wind threatened to tear them apart.

With a loud battle yell, Starfire's eyes flashed their brilliant green. Two laser beams burst from her eyes, aimed at the kid blowing a mini hurricane at them. The kid's eyes narrowed in anger as he jumped out of the way of the deadly beams. That meant he had to stop his blowing for a second, which was plenty of time for Robin.

Starfire flew straight at the teen. She flung Robin down before quickly retreating back to the skies. Robin landed next to the kid but right away got out of his crouch and sprinted away from him, which only sent confusion toward the kid. The perplexed teen watched the superhero leave before he finally got his answer. When the kid was busy fending off Starfire and Robin, Slade had planted a bomb close to where he stood.

From off to the side, Slade smiled smugly under his mask as he detonated his bomb. The boom was deafening as the bomb exploded. Smoke billowed from the sudden fire in the middle of the street. Before anything had cleared yet, Beast Boy and Cyborg rushed into the black clouds of smoke with intentions of taking the kid down.

"Something's wrong," Robin muttered as he ran up to Slade's side. He didn't once take his masked eyes off the smoke. "Cyborg isn't shooting and the kid isn't attacking either."

"Hmm," Slade thought out loud. He observed the mass of smoke for a second more. "He's not there," he concluded. "The little brat saw it at the last second. But now he's angry. It will be harder to get to him now."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Robin said sarcastically.

"So that's where Gene gets it," Slade said. Robin looked up at Slade with a raised questioning eyebrow. "And all this time I couldn't figure out where Gene got his sarcasm from. The boy could torture someone with the amount he has."

Robin smiled wryly but didn't say anything. Slade could be a sarcastic person himself at times, but it was funny how he was irritated by others who had some in them. Robin glanced over to his side to check on Raven and the others standing with her. They made eye contact, and he right away felt her tension. Something was wrong. He could see it in both hers and Gene's violet eyes.

Reluctantly, Robin averted his gaze away from Raven. If the kid wasn't where he used to be then he was hiding from them. Robin searched the street intently. Slade was already doing the same. The kid couldn't have gone too far.

Suddenly they heard a blood piercing scream. All eyes flew upward in the direction they heard it from. Robin gasped as he saw Starfire slam into a sky scrapper at tremendous speed. Glass shattered and rained down on the group of superheroes. The team watched in horror as Starfire plummeted to the ground like a limp doll.

Beast Boy acted fast. He sprung into the air while morphing into a pterodactyl. He beat his long, leathery wings and was soon rescuing his fallen comrade. Robin looked to the building across the sky scrapper that Starfire had hit and growled in anger. The kid was standing on the edge of the structure with a smug smirk on his lips. He was staring straight at Robin.

"Damn kid is just playing with us," Robin said under his breath. "We're like his practice dummies."

Slade was standing beside him and staring up at the kid as well. "Then you and your team better get serious," he said down to Robin. "You better hope that alien girl isn't dead."

Without a word, Robin got out his grappling hook and aimed it at the building the kid was on. Soon he was whizzing through the air. Seconds before he got to the end of his cord, he took out a bomb from his belt and stuck it onto the building. The superhero then pushed off the brick structure and shot his grappling hook at another as he plunged to the earth.

Second later, the place where the kid was standing blew up beneath his feet. The kid gave a sharp yell of surprise. He hadn't seen Robin place the bomb. He got over his worry quiet quickly and floated on a ball of air. As if to punish Robin, the kid twisted a current of air and threw it at the other teen as he drifted lazily to the ground again.

Robin clung onto his grappling hook as the current hit him suddenly. He was in midair when the kid had flung it his way. It took a while for the current to pass and for him to land on the roof of another building. He watched as Cyborg and Beast Boy tried their best to hit the guy. Multiple attacks at the same time weren't working anymore.

The trick to bringing this kid down was to get close. The hardest part was just getting a punch in. The kid knew exactly how to keep a distance from everyone, but he wasn't good when it came down to close combat. Robin knew the fight could be over if he or Slade got that close.

An idea came to him from out of the blue. Like many other times before, Robin went with it with absolute no hesitation. He had learned that random ideas in a battle were better off performed right away instead of thought upon.

The teen scrambled to his feet and sprinted to a higher roof top. Once he was there, he took out three smoke bombs from his belt. He flung them to the ground around the kid on the street below. As a thick cloud of gray smoke sprung up, Robin sharply threw a bird-a-rang into it. As he predicted, the gadget was pushed back by a small blast of wind. The teen jumped off the building while throwing another bird-a-rang and right after it an ice disk.

The bird-a-rang came back at him and almost cut the teen's cheek. The ice disk wasn't planned and hit the kid somewhere. Robin fell through the smoke and landed on the kid's shoulders. He brought the other teen down to the black cement, hard. At the last second, he pushed off the kid and did a flip in the air to land perfectly behind the fallen teen.

Robin took on no pity. Before the kid could get back to his feet, Robin grabbed the back of his jumpsuit and forced him up into the air and flung him over his head. He let the kid lay there and cough up blood as he stood over him with a dark glare.

"You're going to regret that move," the kid seethed up at Robin.

"I'm not here to play," Robin growled back. "You hit hard, my team and I hit hard back." He paused to let his words sink in. "Why are you here? If you are here for Gene, then go back to your people now, and you won't have to get your ass kicked."

The kid was on his hands and knees now. He coughed some more, and a trickle of blood splattered against the concrete. He then looked up at Robin with a loathing glare. "This is what happens when you make me mad," he snarled.

Before Robin could react, the kid got to his feet and drove both his palms at him. Robin gave a sharp yell of surprise as his body was thrust backwards at an incredible speed. He landed roughly on the street, yards away from the kid, and finally came to a stop after some harsh rolls. He didn't get back up.

The team that had surrounded the kid as he talked to Robin was all too shocked to react quickly enough. With a quick swipe of his hands, the kid had everyone except for Gene, his friends, and the two passed out Titans caught in a swirling tornado. The kid spun his hands around faster and managed to pick everyone up off the ground. Finally the kid shot his hands away and sent them all spinning in different directions that were blocks away from each other.

"What do we do?" Rose asked Gene in a squeaky voice that clearly displayed fear. She clung onto his arm like it was her only lifeline. Gene winced as her emotions pelted him. He had a great difficulty trying to keep his mind from collapsing from the fright he was feeling from her.

"You gotta fight him, Gene," Zach said to his friend. "Rose and I have no clue how to take this guy down."

"I…I'm in no condition!" Gene said as he backed away from the kid. "I suck at fighting, anyways. We'll just have to run!"

The kid turned to face Gene and his friends. He smirked when hearing Gene say this. He slowly started to walk toward the small group of teens. "Running will get your nowhere in life, Gene," he said hauntingly. "But I know you. You don't really want to run. You just want to right now because you don't want your stupid little friends to get hurt."

The competitive side of Gene stopped his backing away. He couldn't stand having this guy read his thoughts like this. The spoiled brat needed some bars of his pride to be knocked off. A great part of Gene wanted to go at it with this kid, but another protective part wanted to defend his friends. He had little chances of standing up against the other teen. Running from him would be safer for Zach and Rose.

"Here, let me fast forward a little for you," the sadistic teen said. He put his palms together in front of him, and then separated them in one fluent motion. Gene watched in horror as Zach and Rose were flung away from his sides. They crashed into the brick buildings with sickening cries of pain. Gene felt like his heart stopped when he saw his two best friends fall to the sidewalks lifelessly. For a few seconds he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air as he looked back and forth from side to side, hoping and praying for them to move. No movement came.

"No," Gene whispered in distress. He raced for Rose's body but was quickly knocked down by a strong gust of wind. He landed on his butt with a wince. With a fierce look in his narrowed eyes, Gene looked up at the other teen with a disgusted expression planted on his face. "Why did you do that?" he shouted at the kid.

"Because I could," the teen answered nonchalantly. He began to look at his fingernails as if they were more interesting than the mayhem he had started.

With his hands bursting into black fire, Gene flew to his feet and levitated toward the other teen in his furry. He stopped half way there and created a quick force field to protect himself from the severe blast of wind the kid hurled his way suddenly.

Gene took this time to calm his anger. He didn't want it to get out of control. He knew he couldn't afford to become that monster again. This was the great downside of his powers. One sudden flare of emotion could destroy something. He constantly would have to keep them in check.

"Just because you can do something, that doesn't mean you should," Gene spat at the other teen. "If you want me, then don't hurt everyone else."

"Who told you that sappy story?" the kid asked with a harsh laugh. "I say if you have a power then freaking use it. I'm sick of all these sentimental superheroes going around saying corny things like that. It's like they were all spoon fed this crap when they were young by their mommies and daddies. What are you, Gene? Some superhero prodigy? That's laughable. You can barely levitate."

"What is it with demented psychopaths that they feel the need to tirade about things they dislike?" Gene asked with a smirk. "Just because you had a rough childhood, it doesn't mean I have to go through the snore fest of your rants. I guess because you don't have a psychologist, you just have to get it all out when you're battling someone. Now, how does that make you feel?"

Gene gave a small gasp as he put his hands up to make another quick shield. The brutal blast of air this time pushed Gene back at least a foot. The kid freaked out just because Gene made him angry. Gene mentally noted that information. Maybe it could come in handy.

It took a while for the wind current to pass. The kid stood there with his hands clutched into tight fists and his brilliant green eyes narrowed in pure hatred. His calm and pristine act was gone. The tables seemed to have turned. It was now Gene who was standing evenly but in a firm fighting stance. He glanced to both his fallen friends and fought the urge to run to them. His only option at this point was standing up against this guy.

"What do you want with me?" Gene asked bluntly.

"My mission was to bring you to the people I work for," the kid said venomously. "But I have my own plans." Gene frowned as he heard this. His body stiffened as the kid suddenly relaxed his threatening expression and smiled wickedly. It took a lot of will power for Gene to fight the fear rising in him. The kid's vibes were almost overpowering. Something about him was just so foreboding. The feeling was like a mist swirling lazily around his body. It threatened to suffocate Gene as it churned ominously.

"What plans?" Gene asked coolly.

"How 'bout we play a little game?" the kid suggested randomly, completely ignoring Gene's question. He bent down and picked up a broken piece of the street while saying, "I'll draw a circle around us. If you stay inside the boundaries of the circle, I can't hit you with any really forceful blows. But once you step out of the circle, I can do whatever I want with you."

"What if I force you out of the circle?" Gene asked. He narrowed his eyes dangerously as he apprehensively watched the teen draw the thin white line around him with the piece of pavement. The lone scratch and scrapping sound was nerving Gene to the bone.

The kid stood up in surprise when Gene asked this. "You really think you'll be able to beat me?" he tormented with a smirk. He finished the circle and stood confidently a yard in front of Gene with his arms folded in front of him.

Dark energy was allowed to flow through Gene's arms. His hands were quickly consumed by the now familiar black fire. "What makes you think you'll be able to beat me?" Gene asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're only doing this for your own practice and pride. That means you need to beat someone that is as great as you because you suck at close combat."

The kid frowned as he heard Gene say this. "Are we going to start this or what? I want you begging for your life before your friends that I blew away get back here," he said.

"I guess we're both impatient," Gene muttered. He let a flash of his emotions explode from his body. A street lamp was suddenly possessed by the boy's powers. It broke away from the sidewalk with a swift jerk of Gene's left hand. The lamp seemed to have been flung by an invisible force as Gene threw his arms in the air before promptly bringing them back down, a loud battle yell accommodating his forceful move.

When the kid saw the street lamp coming at him suddenly, he crouched down to prepare himself for incoming object. As the dangerous flying metal pole seemed like it was going to knock into the kid, the teen shot high into the air.

Gene gave a disgusted grunt and summoned his powers away from the lamp. The object turned back to its original color, crashing and flipping down the street because it had no more direction. The kid was still in the air and coming back down to the earth when Gene grabbed two large garbage bags with is powers. He flung them at the kid. The other teen simply pushed his palms at the objects with a smile returning to his face.

While the kid was still falling back toward the earth, he swept a hand threw the air, blasting a current right at Gene. The teen gave an alarmed yell as the current forced him into the air. In a desperate act to prevent himself from flying out of the circle so soon, Gene created a force field to slam into. His back crashed into the field with a wince. He landed on the street, his sneakers only an inch away from the white line of the circle.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," the kid taunted as he landed lightly on the ground inside the circle. "But now it's my turn to be on the offense," he said. Gene's eyes widened as the kid ran at him with his fist raised, ready to punch Gene's lights out.

Gene charged back at the kid. He could see the hesitation now in the other teen's eyes when seeing someone coming back at him. Gene let his mind block out all other distractions and flow. He was going to have to use his mind more than his powers. His powers alone were never going to win him this fight.

The kid came down upon Gene with a tight fist. Gene crouched down and swung a hand above his head to create a small shield. The kid's fist slammed into the hard black mass. He gave a small cry of pain while retracting his bloody hand. He had busted his knuckles in his dumb move.

With another quick swipe of his hand, Gene created another force field a few feet above the ground and right beside the other kid. The teen jumped onto his small platform. Before the kid could get his head back together, Gene's extended leg was colliding with his skull.

Blood spurted into the air as Gene's knee rammed into the kid's nose, breaking it upon impact. The harsh force sent the other boy rolling. Gene landed evenly on the ground and smirked as he watched the kid slide to the very edge of the circle. An inch of the kid's head went over the white line.

"I beat you at your own game, dude," Gene said with a sigh. "But I'm not here to play hero and drag you off to prison. Just go back to your people and leave me and my friends the hell alone!"

As if to emphasize his point, Gene latched his powers onto the boy's ankle and pulled the kid toward him in one forceful jerk of his hand. The kid screamed as he sailed through the air. Gene let out a furious battle yell as he executed a perfect round house kick that caught the other teen in the chest and sent him back to the ground gasping for breath.

The two were silent as they caught their breath. Gene was only being fueled by adrenaline and his ability to endure. By now he was thoroughly worn out. He thought the other kid was too because he was just laying there wheezing. Gene didn't blame him for making such embarrassing noises. He had some internal injury, busted knuckles, and a broken nose. Most people would be passed out by now.

"I do not loose!" the kid suddenly seethed. He sat up while forcing the air from behind him at Gene. The teen didn't anticipate the move and couldn't come up with a force field in time. A piece of glass from a broken window somewhere was caught up in the current and sliced right through Gene's side with the cut, painfully reopening the wound.

Gene gave a loud yell of agony as he felt the shard of glass pass through his skin. He held onto his side as the force of the shard going through his body pushed him completely off balance. The teen fell sideways and stuck out his free hand to keep himself from doing a face plant. That hand went out of the circle.

The kid with the broken nose slowly got to his feet with an evil grin coming to his bloody features again. He noticed Gene's hand was outside the circle and also the cause for his pain. The shard of glass was sitting in a pool of fresh crimson blood next to the teen gasping for control over his pain on his hands and knees.

"I didn't loose because there was no rule on what happened when I went out of the circle," the kid said smugly. He stood over Gene with his arms crossed in front of him. "You going outside the circle, on the other hand," he said while pointing to Gene's hand, "had a rule."

Gene could barely create a shield in time for the bombardment of air. He winced as the kid put more glass shards in his currents. The kid relentlessly rained fierce currents of air upon Gene, cracking the shield more with every blast. Gene was too weak to keep his shield up. He was helpless.

The kid saw this and tilted his head back, laughing at the sight before him. His evil and sinister vibe was now practically choking Gene. Finally the teen just couldn't hold his ground any longer, and the shield was broken.

Unremittingly, the laughing kid blasted Gene with currents filled with tiny pieces of glass. Gene winced as their edges sliced and cut through his skin. He was practically paralyzed. The only way to protect himself now was to cover his head with his arms, hoping for deliverance from the torment.

-Robin-

He awoke with a quiet moan. The world was fuzzy when he opened his eyes, and it sounded like he was in a fishbowl. The effect made the teen queasy. But the teen sat up anyways. He regretted his move when sharp flashes of pain raced down his side. He had broken a few ribs maybe, but besides a sprained ankle, the rest of the damage was only cuts and bruises. He would be fine in a few days.

Suddenly Robin was aware of his surroundings. The fuzziness of his vision was gone, and he could hear clearly. He turned his head around when hearing a crazy laugh that sent chills up his spine. The memories of what happened before he was knocked out hit Robin like a sledge hammer to his head.

Robin saw that Gene was in desperate need of help. The poor kid was being pelted with wind currents. Robin quickly looked around; trying to understand what was going on. How long had he been out? No one else was there besides Gene's two friends. They were both in dire conditions, passed out on sidewalks.

Pushing through the flaring pain, Robin got to his unsteady feet. Conveniently, his Bo Staff was lying off to his side, only a few yards away. He went to it and picked it up, going as fast as he could. The kid would have to go down in one blow. If he didn't, both Gene and Robin could be in big trouble.

Robin suddenly sprinted toward the kid, ignoring his hurting ankle and ribs. He jumped high into the air and raised the Staff above his head. To keep his location a secret the whole time until impact, Robin didn't let out a single battle yell. His move would have to be swift and silent.

The kid had been so wrapped up in his evil revenge upon Gene that he had no idea of the attack until there was a harsh blast of white pain exploding in his head. Confusion and anger crossed his face before he lost contact with the world and fell to the ground limply. He was out before his body hit the street.

Robin showed his disgust for the kid with a small growl of distaste. He ignored the kid while absently dropping his Bo Staff. It clanked hollowly on the black cement. Robin hurried to Gene's side with his expression soon switching to one of deep worry.

"Hang on, Gene!" he told the boy. His tone was calm but stern. Gene was gasping and on the brink of tears from the pain his body was going through. Robin looked his body over. For a second his mind went into lock, which was so rare that it always scared the teen to death whenever it did.

Gene grabbed Robin's hand and pleaded in between gasps and winces, "Don't give up on me, Robin! Keep me awake!" His body was shaking slightly as the cuts and gashes flowed with the thick crimson liquid. Robin could barely watch the unfortunate teen go through so much agony.

"You're half me, Gene, you know I'll never give up on you," Robin said to him quietly. He squeezed Gene's hand with a forced smile. "Now, keep your mind off the pain. Talk to me. Tell me about your two friends."

As Gene forced himself to talk about Rose and Zach, Robin started to tear off pieces of his clothing. He tightly wrapped strips of the cloth around some of Gene's many wounds. He kept edging Gene on and created random topics for the boy to talk about. Robin ignored the fact that Gene had a slim chance of surviving.

"Robin!" someone called from behind the teen. Robin spun around in surprise at the sudden voice. Raven levitated quickly toward him. Robin noticed the side of her head was crusted over with dry blood. He was just relieved she was okay. He hoped the others were as lucky as her.

Raven landed next to him and looked over Gene's body in horror. She almost had to turn her face away from the bloody sight. "I've cut off most of the blood flow," Robin said wearily to her. "But he has already lost a lot of blood and is about to go into shock or pass out if we don't keep him with us."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked him in surprise. "He's already unconscious. At first I thought he was dead."

Robin's masked eyes widened as he bent down next to Gene. "No!" he murmured to himself. "He needed to stay awake!" He checked the teen's pulse and bit his lower lip. "He's breathing," he told Raven solemnly, "But really slowly. I don't know how long he'll last."

Raven kneeled down at Gene's head and closed her eyes. Robin watched her in silent wonder. The sorceress put her hand over the boy's forehead and mouthed her mantra. After a minute, she gave a small wince and opened her eyes.

"What's wrong, Rae?" Robin asked her. He had no clue what she had just done. He guessed she had gone into his mind or something, but he wondered why. He ran a bloody gloved hand through his hair in nervousness as he waited for her dreaded news. He could tell from her grave face and emotional vibe that the news wasn't going to be uplifting.

"Gene put himself in a healing coma," Raven said emotionlessly.

"That's good, though," Robin said quietly. He knew she wasn't finished yet but wanted to get his thoughts out there anyways.

"The healing coma is for two reasons, Robin," Raven said. "One is for physical healing which only takes an hour to a week." She paused as she searched for her next words. "The second is for mental trauma. It is for getting over bad memories or other things along those lines. This coma is difficult to wake from because you are fighting an internal battle with yourself. It can take a few hours, a few months, a few years…or the rest of your life."

A/N: Whew! That was a long one to type, but it was fun! All I need to do now is sum my fic up in the next chapter, and I'll be done with this one and on to the sequel! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and my evil little cliffhanger. Please give a review! Thanks!


	20. Chapter 20 A Deal

A/N: Well, I'm glad you guys liked my finale. This is my last chapter. You guys don't have to worry about looking for my sequel. I'm just going to add those chapters to this fic. So this will be a two in one fan fic. It's just easier that way for me somehow. But here is the chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: refer to all other chapters!

Chapter 20

Journal 4

The first thing I thought when I woke up was that I was starving and in desperate need of some good food. I guessed I was so hungry because I had been out cold for so many days…or hours. Heck! I had no clue how long I had been in that deep, meditative sleep. When I first woke, I couldn't even remember how I had even gotten there. All I knew was that my stomach was demanding for my attention.

I looked around the room and soon became confused. I expected to wake in the Titan's infirmary, but like always, I was someplace else. It didn't even surprise me this time. I was getting used to my oh so crappy luck.

The new room was your normal hospital room. I hate hospitals. It was bland with no personality at all. It was dark and stuffy too. I wanted to open a window to breath in fresh air to clear my mind, but of course there were none. I didn't know if that was on purpose or not.

Like all hospitals, this one had that sticky hospital smell that was a mixture of ointments and death. Every hospital had that cold, stagnant feel of death hanging dreadfully in the air. It gives me the creeps every time. It just makes me want to get the heck out of there as quickly as I could. I seriously hate hospitals.

A heart monitor was at my side, quietly beeping to the same steady beat of my heart. It was strange. I couldn't remember what had happened. I stared at my heart rate, thinking back to before my black out.

The memories came flowing back to me in a great rush of flashes. I rubbed my forehead afterwards and gave a groan. Some of them had been pretty graphic. I was lucky to even be alive and functioning. I really should have been a pathetic vegetable. For the first time in weeks my luck had kicked in.

For a few more minutes I just sat there on the crisp hospital bed. I finally got sick of sitting and thinking, so I jumped off and landed on the floor in a crouch. Boy was I sore from being motionless for so long. It was nice to stretch and get my heart rate up again.

I walked to the closed door and looked into the hallway before silently stepping into it. The half lit hallway was empty and cold. Because my bare feet were now freezing, I thought about just going back to bed. I rolled my eyes at the dumb thought and continued my exploration of the hospital.

It was clearly late at night or early morning. I was able to sneak my way all the way to the first floor where the receptionist desk was. The woman there looked to be bored to tears. She was in the middle of a very important solitaire game on her computer.

I searched her messy desk full of the papers, used candy bar wrappers, and empty fast food coffee cups from behind her. I was looking for the date or a calendar, pretty much anything that would tell me how long I had been out.

Suddenly I spotted a small, day-by-day calendar in the glow of the computer monitor.

"Three months!" I gasped in surprise. Big mistake.

I had scared the crap out of the woman player her card game. She swirled her chair around with a loud scream. We both screamed for no reason, maybe just from surprise.

Everything was a whirl after that. Nurses and doctors came to investigate who had screamed. They soon got the story of me waking up and put me back in my room, much to my dismay. I felt like a small kid getting sent back to bed. Well, I was back to the world of the living, where the adults didn't give a crap about anyone younger than 20.

My nurse came in a few hours later. Those few hours were miserable on my part. Because of my three month nap, I was wide awake and couldn't sit still. It was like someone gave me caffeine pills. I spent it doing pushups, kicks, and any other karate move that would fit inside the room. Five hours later, my body refused to go anymore, so I switched to my mind. Hour later, my whole bed was levitating five feet in the air. I wonder if I could someday move a whole building.

Anyways, the nurse walked in to see me twirling my TV's remote in the air with my powers. The young brunette gave a short scream of alarm at the sight. I winced at the sudden sound and lost my focus on the object. It came down and knocked me on the head before clattering to the floor.

"Sorry," I muttered, my cheeks flushing red.

"No, its okay," she said with an embarrassed giggle. "I don't regularly see my patients levitate things."

"I've been restless and hungry for hours!" I said while spotting the tray she was carrying. "Please tell me that's breakfast!"

The nurse gave another perky giggle that was on the border line of being annoying. She gave me the tray and watched for a second as I dug into my long awaited meal. Usually hospital food sucks, but this tasted so good because of the long wait.

I was I the middle of my breakfast when I noticed the nurse was still looking at me. I gave her a strange look, hoping it would get me an answer from her.

"Your dad will be so thrilled to see you awake again!" She said sweetly after catching my look.

Suddenly the food didn't taste so good. I swallowed and tried not to look that shook up as I asked, "My father?"

"Don't be silly!" she giggled. "You know, your dad, Slade Wilson. Are you okay, Gene?"

I choked on my cereal when she said his name. After a second of panic, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I ran a hand through my hair and thought quickly as to what to do.

"I'm great!" I lied to her with sappy cheerfulness. "Just couldn't remember for a second. Hey, um, when do you think he'll be here to pick me up?"

"He just called," she answered. "He'll be here in two or three hours. I'm sure you're so excited!"

"Ecstatic," I said, hanging desperately onto my cheesy fake smile.

"Well," the nurse said, "I have your clothes on that chair over there." She winked at me before adding, "And don't go levitating things again, young man." She waved while walking out of the door. She was almost too sweet to me. I guess lately I've just gotten used to being the punching bag. Its hard to get used to kindness when all you're served is cruelty.

"Can this day get any more annoying?" I asked myself. One thing was for sure, I wasn't going to leave this place by Slade's side with a smile on my face. It was kind of creepy that I had been known as his son for three whole months.

Just like old times, I quickly kicked my brain into action. I had less than three hours to prepare for Slade's arrival. I pulled on my civilian cloths and welcomed the feeling of wearing something not so breezy. Did I mention I hated hospitals?

I pulled some strings and managed to get the nurse to bring me some extra food for the "ride home". I didn't know where I needed to go. All I knew was that I wasn't going anywhere with Slade. He was the one who had plunged my life into chaos. I would have to be crazy to actually want to be his little clone slave for the rest of my life.

Slade suddenly came in without any announcement. I was glancing at the newspaper I got from the nurse while stuffing the extra food into a backpack when a shadow slid silently over the fine printed paper. I froze and looked up to the doorway. There was a long silence between us as we stared at each other as if put on a pause.

"Where would you go?" Slade asked intently.

I narrowed my eyes at him before answering, "Anywhere. Why would I tell you anyway?" I went back to my quick packing stiffly. Slade moved toward me. I looked back up and created a black wall to prevent him from coming closer.

"This is childish, Gene," Slade said in his usual calm way that drives me insane. I always feel so stupid around the man.

"So," I retorted. "I'm a kid. Let me be on for once."

"I'm not here to take you anywhere," Slade said. "I know you would never comply."

"Well, at least you aren't stupid," I said with the roll of my eyes. I folded my arms and stared at him coolly. "What do you want then?"

"To make a deal," Slade said, getting right to the point. He would have gone on but realized I had already blocked him out. "Listen to me," he ordered. "Do you really think running like this will make things better for yourself?"

I shot him a piercing look of disgust at this. My gut told me he was speaking pure truth, but I was too stubborn to accept his words. I didn't want to listen to him because whenever I did, it always ended in something terrible. I didn't want to deal with anymore pain.

Slade took a step toward me to force me to listen to him. I looked up from my packing with fear flashing through me. I created a force field in front of me to prevent his outstretched hand from grabbing my own. He simply ducked under it and seized my wrist in a vice grip. Before I knew it, my back was shoved against a wall with both my arms held by Slade.

"Let me go!" I hissed at him. I glanced over to the chair across the room while muttering my mantra under my breath. I wasn't able to finish it, though. Slade put a hand across my mouth and narrowed his eye at me. I looked up at him as a spike of chill shot up my spine. I resisted the urge to shiver as my fear swirled around me.

"You still need to learn your place," Slade said coldly down to me. "You are in no position to call the shots. I'm offering you something to straighten your damned life out. Either listen to all of it or leave…now."

He let me go and took a step back. He looked down at me and folded his arms in front of his chest, waiting for my answer. I glared daggers back up at him, being as defiant as I could toward him. I didn't even say anything as I walked past him and grabbed my backpack. I turned my eyes toward the tiled floor and walked briskly to the door.

For no apparent reason, I stopped at the doorway. I didn't want to trust Slade. Everything in me told me to walk away and be done with him and the life he had planned for me. My pride wanted to kick his butt out of my life for forever.

But something in me had put some doubt in my feelings. A hint of reason was yelling that what I was doing was stupid and rash. Running from everything wasn't going to solve my emotional problem. I wanted to learn how to use my powers and find out where Zach and Rose were. I was dense to believe that I could do that all by myself.

With a shaky sigh, I slowly turned back toward Slade. My eyes stayed pinned on the floor. I didn't want to guess Slade's feelings anymore. My back leaned against the wall, and I waited for Slade to speak. A long silence swept across the room like a crisp winter breeze. Even though I hated to do so, I raised my eyes and looked into his.

"The Titans and I thought about what to do with you for a long time," Slade began. "They were not going to allow me to take care of you, and I wasn't going to give my creation to them as well. We finally decided to let you take care of yourself." Slade looked over to me, and I could tell he was smiling when he saw my eyebrow raise in question.

"Go on," I said reluctantly.

"We finally decided on letting you go on a long scavenger hunt, as you may call it," Slade said. "You let us track you while you go out around the world doing random jobs that can be as simple as working in a restaurant in China for a month, to learning how to use your powers to lift a building. At random times we will check up on you, but most of the time you will be alone."

"This costs money, you know," I pointed out. "A flight ticket alone to somewhere outside the States is pretty pricey."

"That is why we would give you this," Slade said smugly. He took out a small plastic card that at the first glance looked like a credit card and held it up for me to see from a distance.

I held up my own hand and smiled slightly as I forced the card from his fingers with my powers. He didn't give me any outward hint of annoyance, but I could clearly feel the small spike of heat flash throughout the room to indicate his hidden irritation. Lately, I could read a vibe so nicely that it was almost like looking into someone's inner thoughts. It was easier when I had been around someone long enough. I had been around Slade long enough to read him pretty clearly.

"Nifty," I said as I looked over the card. "Credit card?" I asked him with a grin.

"Something like that," Slade said as he crossed his arms again. "It will give you enough money for each job you are assigned. At the beginning it will give you a little extra to get you comfortable with everything."

"Enough for first class?" I asked with my grin getting wider. The thought of having everything from food to travel for free was making me almost giddy. This deal was beginning to spike my interest.

"If that is to your liking," Slade said slyly. He knew all too well that he had me hooked with this.

"Keep going," I said. I sent the card back to Slade. The man quickly caught the card and put it back away in his belt. "There has to be more for me. What can I say, I'm a bit selfish."

"Very well," Slade said. "The folder, Project: Mockingbird will be given to you if you do this."

"The one from the smelly dirt cell?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes," Slade answered with a nod.

"Care to explain?"

"You need to know the history about yourself," Slade answered with a nonchalant shrug. "Raven said knowing your past will help you with your powers. But I won't give it to you all at once. After a few jobs you complete I'll give you another section of it."

I mulled this new information around in my head as I chewed on my bottom lip. What he was offering me was all to my liking, but I still didn't know what to think. Like I've written before, I wasn't used to being treated so nicely, especially when it was coming from Slade. It made me so suspicious. But I really hate being that way. It was like I wasn't capable of trusting someone.

"What about Zach and Rose?" I asked quietly. "Where are they? I'd like to talk to them about this."

For a second Slade only stared at me, thinking wisely on his next few words. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I watched him. From his body language, I could tell something was wrong.

"You're not going to like this, Gene," Slade said. "The Titans had to take all of you to the hospital because the Tower's infirmary wouldn't hold all of you. The doctors were able to keep all of you alive. You only lived because you put yourself in a healing coma."

"Then what happened to them?" I asked.

"The second night, someone came into the hospital," Slade said emotionlessly. "They managed to kidnap Zach. The Titans were only able to get out of there with both you and Rose. We don't know who the ones who took Zach were, but the Titans are looking for the kidnappers."

"And Rose?"

"She's still in a coma state," Slade answered.

"Well, where is she?" I asked. "I could help her! I could…"

Slade quickly cut me off. "No, Gene. Right now you do not have enough experience with your powers. Raven has tried to awaken her, but not even she can do so."

"I need to see her, though!" I said. My mind was reeling. "Please tell me where she is!"

"Not now," Slade said with a stern shake of his head.

"What? Why?"

"If you agree to this deal and complete your first job, I will tell you where she is located," Slade said.

I glared in revolt as what he just said hit me hard. "Are you bribing me into this deal? I'm not some thing you can manipulate!" I yelled. "You think making me do what you say for Rose will motivate me?"

"It will," Slade said simply. I growled in deep frustration at this because the man was right. The light bulbs above us exploded with my flash of released emotion. I knew he was smiling under his mask when he asked smugly, "You never liked to follow the rules, did you?"

"You've always been impossible," I said with the roll of my eyes. After a small silence between us, I turned my eyes to the ground and said quietly, "Have it your way. It's a deal." I wasn't stupid. The deal was pretty much my only option at this point. It was my stubbornness and unwillingness to give up that was taking the beating here.

"Good," Slade said. He didn't express any of it vocally, but I had to grind my back teeth together to prevent my pride from exploding when a wave of triumph splashed momentarily over me. The man took out the card again and held it out toward me, his and the Titans' gift to try to amend my already demented life.

I reached for it hesitantly, but Slade pulled it back sharply before my fingers could even touch it. I glared daggers up at him for playing with me like that. "What other twist is there to this dumb deal?" I asked venomously. I was in no mood for jokes or hidden treachery. All I wanted to do was leave the dang hospital.

"No twist," he said calmly, "Just forcing you to be polite, Gene." I could smell his smugness now. It was an awful stink that almost made me shrivel up my nose. The pungent smell didn't last long, though. It was soon back to the heavy odor of hospital.

"You got to be kidding me," I said in disbelief. I gave him a small, wry smile of skepticism, expecting one of his look-a-like robots to pop out from nowhere with a camera.

"If you want it," Slade said slyly, "You'll have to say the magic words."

"Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos," I retorted. With a swift pull of my hand, the card left his and was soon in my own. "You don't deserve politeness," I said to him.

"Fair enough," he said. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked down on me coolly before saying, "You're first assignment is to fly to Uganda, Africa. There, you will be sent specific details about what you will have to do while you are there. If you work hard enough, it will take you less than two months to complete this assignment. Here is your communicator." He held out the device, and I took it without thinking too much upon it. My mind was still on another subject.

"What do you mean by two months?" I asked in bewilderment. "How long are these assignments? I don't have time to dally in voodoo tribes in some place in the boonies in Africa!"

"Patience is the first thing you need to learn, boy," Slade said as he bent down into my face. "Two weeks where you can't understand or be understood will teach you the wisdom to be quiet and wait. It will be a good teaching."

"I hate you, you know that?" I asked loathingly. More light bulbs were threatening to break.

"Yes, all too well," Slade answered emotionlessly. I felt nothing as he said in dead beat monotone, "Have fun."

End of Journal 4

A/N: Well, that's it for Project: Mockingbird. I'm guessing the first chapter of my sequel will be up either next week or the week after that. It will have less Slade and more Titans. The plot is much different and I'll introduce more characters and action. I believe it will end up better than this fic. I'm excited! But please give a review for this fic's final chapter! It has been fun! See all you in my next fic!


	21. Mission: Mockingbird Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here is my first chapter of my sequel. I don't have much to say. Just please enjoy and leave a review after reading. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Anything that looks like Teen Titans is not mine!

**Mission: Mockingbird**

By: Pixiegirl13

Chapter 1 A New Beginning

She slowly made her way down the creaky stairs of the basement. She turned on the lights and then continued her sluggish decent into the box and dust littered room. The woman was young, recently married too. The large bulge in her stomach was a clear indicator she was at least with a man. She patted her forming baby with a weak smile. Just going down stairs now was a big deal for her.

The basement was cold and not near to being as empty as she wished it to be. She pulled her brown sweater closer around her shoulders once she settled on the concrete floor. The place was a wreck. A layer of thick dust was gathered on all the fading cardboard boxes. Spiders had nested into every corner of the ceiling while mice found good homes on the ground. The sound of their high pitched squeaking made her turn her nose up in disgust as a shiver went down her spine. She didn't care too much for the creatures.

"I guess I better start the cleaning," she sighed to herself. "How did we end up having so much junk?" she asked with a laugh and a shake of her head. It took her a while to brush off dirt and dust from the copious amount of boxes to see what they were labeled. She carefully managed to move them into two separate piles. She knew her husband would have protested profusely if he saw her do this kind of labor because of the baby, but she was stubborn that way. She had to clean the basement her way!

After an hour of hard work, she was thoroughly worn out. The baby was starting to kick and she needed a break. It would be too much work going up and down the stairs again to get some water, so she sat on the steps for a small break. It was then that she noticed an untouched box in the corner. She hadn't seen it before because of the many other boxes that used to be in its way.

She walked over to the box and blew away the dust, trying not the cough as it filled her lungs slightly. A curious look crossed her perspired face when she read the black felt marker words. She slowly knelt down to open the box to see what was inside.

It was like she had found treasure. She didn't care that her jeans were gathering up grim when she sat down with her newly found prize in hand. It was a stack full of papers labeled _My Old Journals_. She always loved a good story. These looked like they hadn't been read in years! Before long, she was engulfed in a story never told to the public.

Journal Entry 5

I gave a disgusted grunt as my chopsticks fell from my hold on them…again. I rubbed my frustration out of my forehead with a dismissive sigh. This was much harder than I thought it would turn out to be.

I looked up from my bowl of sushi to observe the massive crowd. I was sitting on the edge of a two story building, looking over one the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world. Millions of people in Tokyo, Japan cross this place in just a single day. I think I heard that on TV once. Don't quote me on that one.

For me, it was a swarm of emotions, a massive migraine for hours, and a raw feeling after the buzz. It was torture on my mind powers. With the bombardment of hundreds of vibes and emotions, it takes all my concentration and focus to use my powers. Every second, my mood changes to the next vibe I get from the people in the crowd. Just the simple task of picking up chopsticks with my powers takes me hours to do.

"I'm going to starve if this keeps up," I muttered. I closed my eyes again and whispered my mantra to calm my frustration. I held strong onto my hold on my two utensils as swarms, waves, flashes, and even smells of emotion pelted me relentlessly. Carefully, the chopsticks rose to my mouth.

Finally! I thought with a smug smile. I took a large bite from my octopus sushi. Man, I love sushi! I would live off it if I could. Once my spirits had risen, it was somewhat easier to do the move. Soon, I was eating dinner on my perch without having to use my hands or give myself a headache. It took three hours, but it was totally worth it.

Suddenly I felt a presence that was too close. With a small gasp, I spun around to see who was there sneaking up behind me. I'm still too jumpy for my own good.

It has to be because of these crazy dreams I've been having lately. They don't even feel like dreams. They feel so real, and I can always remember exactly what happened during them after awaking. Each one is of me standing in darkness till I see four blood-red eyes stare back at me. At first the voice from nowhere was calm when he demanded for me to release him. Every time I refuse because, I mean, who wants a four eyed demon voiced dude running around the world? But now they voice bellows his demands. For hours I'll be stuck in that dream as the voice threatens me with death and pain. I dread sleeping these days because that means I have to confront that voice again.

Anyways, I expected some demon monster to chow down on me as I turned sharply around. But the threat wasn't there. A frown crossed my annoyed and slightly embarrassed features when all I saw was a girl standing there by the door to the roof.

The girl was around my age, maybe younger. She had chin length auburn hair and piercing gray eyes. A sprinkle of freckles was on her nose and cheeks. She was smiling brightly at me, overjoyed by something unknown. All I wanted was for her happy smoke cloud to quit strangling me. Happy people annoy the heck out of me. Their emotion is too strong and overwhelming.

I stifle a couch and ask her suspiciously, "Who are you?"

Yeah, I know, really kind of me. It was a lovely welcoming to her. I still have so many trust issues. Well, this time I just wanted her to stop being so happy. I was ready to cough my lungs out as the feeling of smoke tangled tightly around my chest. The sensation was too…odd. It always made me uncomfortable.

"Thank god!" she said with a relieved sigh. I raised a questioning eyebrow at her, hoping that would make her explain herself. I didn't feel anything threatening about the girl. There was a tinge of uniqueness in her as well. This girl wasn't normal.

The girl suddenly straightened herself while politely clearing her throat. I watched her in half amusement and confusion. She sure was an interesting one, almost comical in a way. I was tempted to crack up but managed to keep a straight face.

"Gene Summers," she said I a fake military like voice. My eyes widened in alarm. No one knew that name except for my friends…and my enemies! "I want to-"

I was on my feet, never giving her time to think. Emotion flowed through my arms as my hands turned black. A trashcan on the sidewalk flooded with my powers as I picked it up with my mind and flung it at the girl. No chances. She could have been like that air bending kid from six months ago. I wasn't going to let this girl ruin my life like last time!

But suddenly she wasn't there. My trashcan hits only air before crashing onto the rooftop's gravel floor. I resisted the urge to swear. Whenever I did, things always blew up. I had to keep the emotion in check.

"Sorry!" the girl said from behind me now. I spun around and then gave a gasp as my body was put on pause. My heart rate sky rocketed as panic gripped my heart. I couldn't move!

"What is going on?" I barked at the girl, sounding much stronger than I felt at the moment. It was then that I realized she wasn't standing on the roof anymore. She was floating a few feet above the building. A staff was in her right hand. A small clock was on the top of it, ticking quickly downward. Where did that come from? Had she used it like a remote to freeze my body there like when you watch TV? I wonder what other powers the mystery girl has up her sleeves.

"What I'm trying to say, Gene," she said seriously now. The smuggling happiness was gone for the moment. Actually, all of my powers were turned off in this frozen state. It was almost a good feeling. I was freaking out but nothing was blowing up. But at the same time, I didn't like the sensation of being normal again. My powers were a part of me. I had grown to really enjoy them at times. They made me challenge myself mentally all the time. Having that constant challenge has kept my head above the ocean of waters lately.

"It's that my name is Arabell Sage," the girl continued with a weak smile forming on her lips. I had really startled her with my brash move. I can't feel it, but her body language is clearly showing me signs that she is fearful somewhat from me now. "I'm from the future," she said. "I went back in time to meet you, Gene. I've been sent to help you."

End of Journal Entry Number 5

A/N: I'll start it off with that little cliffhanger for you readers to enjoy. An action chapter is next as I quickly take you to the Titans. I think this small first chapter turned out pretty well, actually. I hope you guys liked it too. Have a good Christmas, people! A review would be a wonderful holiday gift! Thanks!


	22. Chapter 2 Only Hope

A/N: I meant to make you guys confused in my last chapter. Ha, ha. Sorry, I just laugh at other's confusion. I'll explain some of what is going on in the next chapter after this one. In the mean time, I'll give you more confusion with the Titans. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Teen Titans. If I did, there would be a sixth season.

Chapter 2 Only Hope

Robin glared coldly up at the video camera on the bare wall opposite of the one he was leaning his back against. The room was gray all around. The walls, ceiling, and floor were coated in the same dull color, making anyone seriously depressed if they had to stay in there. A circle was cut out of the ceiling with a bright bulb in it. A thick plastic prevented anyone from actually breaking the bulb. They had thought of everything.

Suddenly the thick metal plated door to the small, closet sized room was opened. Robin silently got to his feet with his fierce glare never vanishing from his face. A young man that looked to be in his late twenties stepped into the room. He was very fit with muscles covering most of his big body. His blonde hair was cut short, military style. The man's eyes were black with no light in them. Robin noticed his movements were stiff and precise, almost like a robot.

Without a word shared, the man grabbed Robin by the front of his shirt. Robin was surprised by the brute strength the man possessed. Before the teen could protest, the man shoved him into the hallway outside the room where another man looking exactly like the first stood with handcuffs. The cuffs were made out of a thick material that was much stronger than regular cuffs.

The handcuffs clicked into place tightly around Robin's wrists. He looked down at them in silent disgust before he was jerked into place by both men. They escorted him down the hallway. Bright florescent lights blared harsh rays of light on the three as they silently walked down the hall. Blue glistening tiles made up the floor, and the walls and ceiling was all white. There were no windows or indicators to show anyone where they were going. Everything looked the same.

_Robin! Please hear me!_ Raven's voice suddenly burst into Robin's soaring mind. A confused expression crossed his face for a second as he heard her in his head. For a second he believed he was hearing something.

_Raven?_ He thought back. His voice in his mind sounded desperate for her. He hadn't heard anything of his friends for hours. He wanted so badly to know if they were okay. He knew he sounded crazy just shouting names off in his head, but it was possible Raven could have made mind contact with him.

_I've been waiting for hours for one of you guys to leave your cell,_ Raven's voice sounded into Robin's head. _You must listen to me. No questions right now, Robin. My connection is already really weak. A bad vibe is all around this place, wherever we are. You must get help, Robin. I'm afraid death for the Titans is near. I can feel it!_

_Calm down, Rea,_ Robin thought back after hearing her long winded rant. Her voice was fading in and out like some bad reception on a walkie-talkie. He got the gist of what she was saying, though. _I have no clue where we are or how to get out. I'm gonna try to escape, but I don't think I'll succeed._

_Follow my instructions, Robin,_ Raven's voice told him firmly. Her slight flare of panic was gone now. She was all monotone again. _I'll lead you to someone who will help. When you are free from whoever you are with just call for me. I need to save my energy._

Robin nodded, as if she could actually see him. He looked to both his sides where the men were walking beside him. They had their black eyes pinned straight ahead. He knew they were strong, so getting away from them would be tough. He had been stripped from his utility belt he noticed when he woke up in the cell. He'd have to take these two on with only his combat skills. Only problem was that he was handcuffed.

The Titans had ended up here when waking up to a long deep sleep. What Robin didn't know was that all the other Titans were in their own cells similar to the one he had just been in. Robin also had no guesses as to what had happened that made him end up there or the reason why. He had pondered many options in his cell for the five hours he had been awake, but nothing was making any sense.

Robin quickly came up with a battle plan and didn't hesitate a second as he used it. He bent down and rammed his right shoulder into the side of one of the men. He tackled the guy into the wall. Robin winced. The impact was harder than he imagined it to be. But at he got what he wanted. The man slumped to the ground.

Before Robin could get over the harsh collision, he was grabbed from behind and forced back first into the opposite wall. A monstrous hand engulfed his neck and strictly held the boy there to the wall. Robin choked as his windpipe was completely cut off by the second man's hand. He was being strangled to death.

A great flash of panic racked both Robin's mind and body. His vision blurred and the edges were getting darker. He was going to die if he didn't do something in the next few seconds. He frantically hung onto what little consciousness he had as he brought his feet up and locked them around the man's outstretched arm. He then brought his whole weight down in one powerful move.

The man was forced to let Robin go. The teen landed on his hands and knees on the cold tiled floor. He took in sharp gulps for the sweet taste of air through winces of pain. A large red mark was on Robin's neck where the man's hand had wrapped around it.

Robin shook his head to shake off the fragments of dizziness. He gave an alarmed yell when he saw the man come back for him. The guy's face was expressionless. Robin's whole fight strategy had been thrown out the window at this point. He was forced into improvising mode.

With a vicious battle yell, Robin swung his handcuffs upward. The hard metal collided against the man's forehead and sent him to the floor. Robin noticed the man didn't even let out a cry of pain. Everything about these guys was off. He rushed the man, pinning him against the floor before the guy could come back at him.

"What do you want with us?" Robin harshly demanded. "Why did you capture the Titans?" The man only starred expressionlessly up at Robin without a single word. "Answer me!" Robin yelled. A look of a mix of surprise and anger crossed his face when he heard the beeping of a detonation. He threw himself off the man and covered his head with his arms just as the thing exploded.

The hallway was suddenly lit up for a second as fire licked the walls and cool tiles. Smoke filled Robin's lungs from the blast. A heat wave forced Robin to his stomach as he kept his arms over his head as his only protection.

The fire quickly died down and the excitement was gone. Robin uncovered his head slowly and choked on the billowing smoke. He glared behind him at the two robots. Their parts littered the floor in sparking and burnt out bits. Now it was obvious why the two men were so strange.

_Raven!_ Robin called out with his mind. _I need you!_

_Run, Robin! Go now!_ Raven's voice shouted urgently to him.

Robin didn't ask questions. He scrambled to his feet, which was difficult with his heavy handcuffs, and took off in a sprint down the hallway. He flew past a few doors with no labels. Some were normal wooden ones while others were like his cell's, thick hunks of metal with intricate locks. He wondered what was in them or how complicated it would be to open them, but he wasn't stupid or curious enough to stop and try.

He came up to an intersection in the hall. He had the option of running straight ahead, left, or right. The boy managed to skid to a sudden stop as confusion and fear slipped to his eyes hidden under his mask. He didn't know where to go next.

_Turn right!_ Raven's voice told him. _Quickly! Many are after you!_

Robin took her advice and headed that way with no hesitation. He didn't want to even think about his punishment if he got caught by those robots. If that one robot was ready to kill him by suffocating him, Robin knew any other robot wouldn't take kindly to him.

He came to another intersection. This time Raven was ready with her instructions. _Left, Robin! They should be close by. Get ready to fight!_

Robin rounded the corner with a fierce battle yell. A robot turned around just in time to get a royal smack down. The teen superhero swung his hands up over his head as one giant fist and cracked them down on the first robot's head. The move sent the robot to the ground with smoke coming out of its head as the body went into spasms.

The teen jumped forward and sprung off the ground with his hands. His extended foot collided with a second robot's chest area and sent it soaring down the hall. Robin was like a whirlwind that couldn't be stopped.

He landed beside the third and last robot and grabbed its arm. The thing did the same to Robin, but the boy didn't seem to notice. He forced the robot to the floor in one swift move. Before the thing could get back up to attack, Robin had his handcuff's chain wrapped around the robot's neck. Robin gave a hard yank with a grunt of effort. The robot's head popped off and spun through the air before clanking hollowly on the floor.

The sound of beeping alerted Robin to his next move. He picked the robot's limp body up and threw him down the hall where the other robot had gotten back up and was running his way. The thrown robot slammed into the running one and sent it to the ground again.

Another loud blast sounded in the hallways as the robot exploded soon after impact. Robin turned just in time and managed to keep to his feet as a heat wave washed over him. He coughed again on the smoke as he fanned the gray clouds in front of him. Those robots had pretty big explosions. The teen wondered what caused them. He knew enough about robots to know he didn't make them explode.

"What the hell is going on?" a voice shouted in anger and confusion. Robin had been so busy fighting he hadn't taken into consideration why the robots were there. He spotted two figures standing beside each other against the wall. They surprisingly didn't have any handcuffs because the robots had been securely holding them, but they did have blind folds.

Robin ran over to them but stopped in his tracks when he realized he knew the two. It was Red X, Jump City's greatest thief and the Hive Five's silent member, Kid Wicked. Now Robin was too confused to form words in his mouth. He decided to let them take the blindfolds off and let Red X express himself to give him some time to think.

Red X and Kid Wicked looked around in clear puzzlement before Red X let out a string of curses. "What is going on here, kid?" he finally asked Robin. He looked down to Kid Wicked and asked as an afterthought, "And who the hell are you?"

"Look," Robin said firmly. He finally got his mind under control. "I'm just as confused as you two, but I need your help. My team has been captured like you two. I somehow got free for a second. It seems like whoever is calling the shots is collecting superheroes. That must mean there are others like us who are captured. They all need help."

"Oh! Don't tell me you're going to force me to play hero again," Red X said in disgust.

"I didn't force you," Robin retorted. "You choose to save Jump City yourself. Anyways, I'm asking both of you to give someone a message. That person will save us."

"Who?" Red X asked. He liked the idea of being messenger rather than savior.

"His name is Gene Summers," Robin said after some hesitation. He didn't know if it was a wise choice to get the kid involved. Gene was still learning how to use his powers. He was only a mere novice. But Robin still trusted the boy to help his team. "He's in Tokyo, Japan," Robin continued.

"Gene Summers?" Red X asked in surprise. He gave a small chuckle before saying, "The shrimp made it after all." Robin guessed Red X and Gene had bumped into each other at one point then. This just helped Robin's conscious.

Robin was surprised when he saw Kid Wicked nod. Both older teens stood back as Kid Wicked raised both hands and slammed them down onto the floor. A black portal formed where his hands were. Robin was tempted to go ahead and jump into it, but he knew he needed to stay. He didn't know why he felt the need to wait behind. His mind told him it was smarter to escape, but his gut told him to stay. Robin knew his gut was always the better choice.

"Thank you," Robin told Kid Wicked quietly. The kid just nodded again.

"Aren't you coming?" Red X asked.

"Just hurry," Robin answered. "Go."

"You are one strange person, kid, you know that?" Red X said with a sigh. "Don't choke on your seriousness, 'kay." With that said, he jumped into the portal. Robin smiled slightly when hearing Kid Wicked sigh under his breath before following after the thief. Soon the portal was gone.

Robin was then alone in the hallway. The pungent smell of smoke still lingered in the stagnant air. Robin ran his handcuffed hands through his hair in nervous habit. He wondered if what he had just done was the right thing. Sometimes he hated being leader and making choices like this. He could be praised to embarrassment or demolished by the choices he was forced to make in such little amount of time.

Every time he made one he worried. The worry turned to stress which lead to other bad side effects. Sometimes he just wished not to be like this, but then he would remember that characteristic of him made him such a good leader. If you didn't care about what choices you made for the team, then that meant you didn't care about the consequences.

Robin turned when hearing quick footfalls come up from the intersection. A whole squad of robots rounded the corner with stun guns slung over their wide shoulders. Robin gulped down a lump in his throat as he let the pack surround him with guns aimed in his direction.

"You didn't go with them," a voice said from behind one of the robots. The teen who had spoken made a part in the pack of robots and came to the front of them. Robin's eyes widened when he saw the kid. It was the boy who had almost killed Gene a few months ago, and who he had knocked out just at the last second. Robin had forgotten that he had left the boy to die on the street. How wondered how the kid survived.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked through clenched teeth. This single kid had taken down his team in seconds with his blast of air currents. Anyone who messed with his team like that was sure to get on Robin's bad side.

"Like I'm gonna tell you," the kid said with a cold laugh. He grabbed the front of Robin's shirt and pulled him close so their noses were almost touching. "And don't forget that I still loath your worthless guts for that act you did a few months ago," the kid said with a wicked and sardonic smile crossing his lips. Robin could see the evil gleam in the teen's eyes. This kid was sick.

Robin knew if he said anything it would do nothing to spoil this kid's fun. So Robin did nothing at all but smirk back as if challenging the other teen. The kid's smile dropped when he observed this. Robin knew his one expression was angering him because it meant he wasn't fazed at all by what the kid was saying. The kid lived for power over others. Robin wasn't bending. This was like the equivalent of slapping the kid.

"You won't be wearing that expression when we're through with you," the kid said. Cold venom dripped in his voice. From behind his back he pulled out a syringe. Robin glanced at it with a flit of fear rising in him. He never liked needles. Who did?

Robin tried to bolt even though he knew he had no chance. He personally thought it would be better to go down with a stun gun's spark flashing through his body than have some drug forcefully pushed into his veins. He was quickly pinned against the wall by two robots on his arms and two on his legs. Robin watched with weariness as the kid approached with a satisfied grin. He was happy to see Robin squirm.

The kid piteously plunged the syringe deep into Robin's stomach. The teen gave a painful wince but managed to resist the urge to cry out to give the boy more pleasure. The kid pushed the chemical in the syringe into Robin and watched in delight as Robin groaned as he undertook the unwanted substance. Soon Robin's body let him pass out.

-Red X and Kid Wicked-

They both landed on the outskirts of Japan's greatest city, Tokyo. It was late at night, so the flashy neon lights lit up the horizon where the city was standing tall and proud. They were in the middle of a field. The smell of cow dung was in the air from it being spread over the ground as fertilizer for the crops.

"Couldn't you have transported us to the city?" Red X asked Kid Wicked as he rolled up his nose under his mask in disgust. He had lived in the city most of his life. He hadn't smelt something as bad as this since the sewers.

Kid Wicked was breathing hard from his extensive use of power. He glared up at Red X. The kid personally disliked complaining. He had used all his energy into that portal here. He thought Red X would be grateful enough.

"You don't like to talk much, do you?" Red X asked Kid Wicked as he finally noticed that he hadn't heard him talk even once. Kid Wicked shook his head. "What are you, a mute?" Red X said with a chuckle. Kid Wicked shook his head. "Oh," Red X said with embarrassment. "No hard feelings." He patted the kid's head.

Kid Wicked swatted the older teen away with a tired sigh. He started to trudge his way through the field of sprouting green leaves to where a road was that he hoped lead into the big city. Red X paused before running to catch up with the boy.

"Hey! I have a brilliant idea," he said while walking backwards in front of Kid Wicked. He avoided the deeply annoyed look Kid Wicked was giving him and went on. "How 'bouts _you_ go find Gene and inform him about Robin and the others while I go do something useful?"

Kid Wicked looked at the other teen skeptically. He rolled his eyes with another sigh. He didn't expect the thief to do anything good. He didn't even think Red X would help him find Gene. But Kid Wicked wasn't set out to find Gene for the rescue of the Titans. He was going on this quest for his own team that had been captured by the same people a week before. Red X had no reason to search for Gene, and Kid Wicked fully understood that.

"Have some faith in me, kid," Red X said. "I'm not all selfish and heartless. You go find Gene. Have fun with it. Go have some sushi. Tokyo has sushi, right? Anyways, I'll be around." With that said he stopped in the field and started to fiddle with his newly stolen belt. Kid Wicked watched in mild interest as Red X cursed at the belt till finally it worked with a sputter and he was gone with a wave. It had just enough Xenothium in it for one last transport.

_Figures,_ Kid Wicked thought before turning back to the road. It would take him all night to walk to the city. He would then have to spend all day looking for Gene. _The Hive Five better thank me for this,_ he thought.

A/N: I got the soundtrack for POTC 2 and it is great when you want to type! I don't know why I just typed that, but I'm in a goofy mood today. Hope you liked the chapter! Please give a review!


	23. Chapter 3 New Girl

A/N: Sorry for forgetting to update. I've been busy writing something for my Creative Writing final project due next week. Okay, I'm going back to Gene now. I think my format will be bouncing back and forth from Gene to the Titans every so chapter. I won't go back to the pregnant lady till the very end of the fic. Well, enjoy the chapter and review after your read, please! And I have a little surprise for you people at the end of the chapter!

Oh! And before I forget, I my brain wasn't functioning when I typed in that the girl with Gene said her name Annabeth. Her real name is Arabell and I've corrected it. I don't know where my head was.

Disclaimer: You have to ride the short bus is you believe I own any of the Teen Titan characters.

Chapter 3 New Girl

Journal Entry 6

I was completely blown away by this girl. I stared up at her for a second with a blank expression as my mind gripped for something to say. "Back up!" I finally shouted as I tried to shake my head to clear my thoughts, but I realized I was still in my frozen state. The only part of my body I could move was my face. "Rewind and tell me that last part."

The girl looked around with nervousness. "I'm here to help you save the world," she said with a forced smile. She hovered a few feet in the air and was trying her best to look like an innocent angel. She avoided making any eye contact with me. This clearly wasn't the reaction from me she was hoping to get.

"No," I said with frustration running deep in my voice, "The first part of the last part" The sentence didn't make much sense, but she understood what I wanted.

"I'm from future?" she asked in an anxious squeak.

"Yes, that part!" I yelled. "Care to explain?" She looks at me like I have just asked her to commit murder or something. "And while you're at it…let me go from this stupid pause!"

"Oh! Sorry!" she said in a rush of words. She raised her staff with the clock over her head and brought it down. I flinched because it looked like she is going to bust my head open. But she stopped at the last second and lightly taped my nose with a giggle. Mood swings much?

A great flood of emotions hit me like a dodge ball being whipped at my gut. It took me a second to get over the feeling of my powers returning. I glared up at the girl, and of course I don't remember her name. I'm so bad with names, but I don't understand why. I thought both Robin and Raven who I was cloned after had good memories. It's a mystery I'll never understand.

"I'm not actually allowed to tell you about the future because it could disrupt something," the girl said shyly. She kept a safe distance from me with her clock staff ready to freeze me again if I tried to do something not to her liking.

"Oh, that's convincing," I said, my sarcasm flowing off my tongue before I can put a handle on it. "But if you don't mind…whoever you are, I have other things to do. I'm not exactly a superhero ready to go plow evil villains over and save the world from sure destruction. I can barely lift a pair of freaking chopsticks in a crowd of people."

I picked up my sleeveless brown trench coat and shoved it on while glaring at the ground. I had better things to do than stick around this "future" girl who I couldn't even her name. It was close to midnight, and the family that was letting me stay with them must have been pretty worried that I wasn't home yet.

"I thought you would be nicer in the past," the girl said as she folded her arms across her chest. I glanced up at her when feeling her wave of confidence. She wasn't giving up on me just yet. At least she wasn't a quitter.

"Sorry I'm not what you expected," I said quietly. "But I advise you to just go back to your own time."

"I was told I had to stay here till I helped you," she said while sticking her nose in the air like a silly school girl. "I'm not leaving your side till I've helped you save the world."

"Lucky me," I muttered with an annoyed sigh. This caused the girl to glare at me. This was a lovely start to a grand new friendship. I'm just overjoyed at this point to have a tagalong that I won't ever be able to protect if something horrible goes wrong. I don't need more guilt or emotional pain. At the time I desperately wished she would just go away.

Suddenly a loud scream came from the crowd below us. I rushed to the side of building out of impulse. I saw a girl pointing to a man in a black ski mask who had just stolen her purse. The girl was clearly an American, meaning a lot of cash and valuables were in that purse which most likely cost enough money by itself. The thief had made off with a good deal.

All emotions from others were forgotten as I quickly jumped onto a round portal I created. I hung onto the side of it like I would with a skateboard, and, with my mind, I let it take me forward. The girl followed me gracefully in flight.

"Why don't you simply levitate?" she asked in confusion.

I glanced over to her and batted down my urge to get angry. Okay, I'll admit that I'm pretty pathetic at levitating myself. It is one of my biggest flaws. I just can't seem to have much control over it. Where it comes naturally to Raven to levitate herself, I suck horribly at doing anything but wildly shooting my body in different directions. But she told me once that she used to have difficulty creating force fields and keeping them, while it comes to me like second nature now. They are my strong point.

"I'm not exactly experienced like I apparently am in the future," I snapped back at her to keep her quiet.

She smiled as what I said finally sunk in. She giggled while saying playfully, "So you're like a newbie. I get it now! Man, I didn't think I'd go back _this_ far!"

"Stand aside, girl," I ordered her firmly as I flew in front of her to make her stop.

"My name is Arabell," she corrected with a frown.

"'Kay, I get it now," I said with a sigh. We landed a few blocks away from the giant pedestrian crossing in a dark alleyway. I didn't like the haunting feel of the place, but I knew the right thing to do was to go after that purse snatcher. "Just stay here and twirl your little clock staff around while I go take down this guy. It should only take a sec."

"Does that mean you'll come back for me?" she asked hopefully.

"No," I answered simply. She gave me a mean look as I smirked before walking briskly into the shadows of the alley. I heard her run after me and sighed again in irritation. What other rude remarks and actions did I have to portray to this girl to make her go away? Boy was she persistent!

"Well, in case you didn't know," Arabell said mater-of-factly as she trailed behind me, "I'm not a newbie superhero. I've been taught by some great teachers at school on how to use my powers, and I'm first in my class."

"Superhero school, huh?" I asked with a laugh. "There's a bright idea. And no, you're not number one in your school. I could read that lie of yours a mile away."

"How dare you call me a liar!" she yelled in outrage.

I shrugged with a wry grin coming to my face. I was enjoying this too much. "I'm only speaking truth," I said. "And by the way, your emotions are extremely easy to detect."

"Fine," she said with a huff. "I'm not number one in my grade. I'm better skilled than you are, though." She laughed spitefully before saying, "You can't even levitate yourself yet. That's pretty pathetic. No wonder they sent me."

"They should have character school for prideful stuck ups in the future," I muttered. I could so beat her with the skills I had even now! I was ready to punch her lights out but refrained from doing so only by keeping half my mind busy on what was going on in the alley. The cold feeling of danger was all around. My gut was telling me I needed to be careful.

"I can't believe I had to be sent here to help one of the rudest kids I've ever known," Arabell was saying as we rounded a corner and came to a dead end. I stopped and looked around while motioning for the girl to stop her yapping. "What? You feel something?" she asked.

I would have asked her how she knew that I could feel things, but I was too busy trying to feel where the robber had gone to. A few large black garbage bags were piled in one corner. It was hard to make out much of anything else in the alley. It was too dark to see.

I heard the shot right before things turned hectic. Someone had fired a gun from a fire escape above me. Before I could look in the direction it was shot, I was suddenly sprawled out on the over stuffed garbage bags in a daze. I shook my head and tried to remember if I had been shot, but I felt fine.

It was difficult to get out of the smelly mess of garbage bags. When I got to my feet finally, I saw the black ski masked thief with the purse in the middle of the alleyway. The other thing that I saw I couldn't believe at first. Arabell was striking the man from all around. She was to his right with a punch then would disappear and reappear in a flash to his left. It was making me dizzy just watching.

I saw her problem a little too late. She wasn't striking him with enough force or in the right places to bring him down properly. She was also hitting the same places in a kind of pattern. I already knew where she would hit him after watching her for a few seconds. Problem: Purse Snatching had figured the pattern out too.

The man in the mask suddenly grabbed her staff with both hands. I gave an alarmed yell when suddenly they both vanished right before I caught the flash of triumph from the man and the shivering coldness of Arabell's horror. I ran forward and looked around. I had no clue what to do. The girl was in trouble…and once again I couldn't do a thing to save her.

"Swell," I muttered after what had happened finally sunk in. I stood there in worry and annoyance. I personally didn't want to care about the both of them, but Arabell was a superhero. I couldn't just give up on her. I could be ridiculously mean and rude to the girl, but I couldn't just walk away from her when she was in trouble. I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to her.

I was about to call out for her when suddenly I heard a cry split the air next to me. My eyes widened as I spun to my side where the scream had erupted from. A body slammed into my chest at full force. It was like some rugby player had caught me off guard and managed to fully knock me off my feet. The air escaped me in one long _whoosh_.

We tumbled roughly to the coarse, damp pavement in one big ball of arms and legs. I had taken the blunt of the fall. My head was now exploding with pain from it hitting the cement ground. My elbows stung from me trying to stop my body from skidding. I looked to my side and saw Arabell wincing as she tried her hardest to get to her feet.

"Ha, ha!" Purse Snatcher laughed in success as he raised Arabell's staff into the air. The flash of hot air from his emotion dried up any cold fear swirling around me. I glared daggers at him as I got to my feet. He was busy saying praises to himself in Japanese. I wasn't great at speaking the language, but I understood most of what the beef head was saying. Something about he was strong, we were fools, eBay, fortune, buy whatever he wanted, and…a rubber ducky? I think I translated that last part wrong. Well, he did seem like the crazy type. You never know.

"He has your clock staff thingy!" I said in alarm to Arabell.

She grumbled a curse under her breath as she got to her feet next to me. She avoided eye contact with me as she brushed dust off her clothes. Finally she sighed and looked up at me. I could tell her pride was dented. "He won't be able to use it," she said. "Do you have a watch?"

"No," I said. Too many of those had been stolen when I was asleep in a village in Africa a few months ago. I'd have to buy a new one each weekend. Soon I just gave up. I learned to find out what time it was other ways.

"Okay," Arabell said with a deep sigh.

"Don't look so happy," I said with a grin before running at Purse Snatcher. He saw me coming and raised his pistol while shouting at me in Japanese to get back. I ignored his warnings. He fired a few bullets at me. I heard Arabell's fearful screams as the shots seemed to vibrate the very air. The deafening sound echoed off the brick walls.

"Not today, pal," I said to Purse Snatcher as my black force field died away from where I had created it in front of me. He cursed in his language when seeing my abilities. I acted quickly as he was in his stunned state. I flung my leg into the air and kicked the gun right out of his hands. I leaned forward and grabbed the purse on his shoulder and slipped it right off him.

"Hold this," I said to Arabell as I threw her the purse. She caught it in astonishment. I turned around and frowned. Purse Snatcher had gotten smart and was sprinting out of the alley with the staff clutched so tight in his hand that his knuckles were turning white.

Emotion was allowed to freely flow through my arms and hands as I whispered my mantra. My mind attached itself onto one of the large garbage bags in the corner of the alley behind me. I whipped my right arm outward. The bag flung itself through the air and exploded across Purse Snatcher's back. The man gave a surprised cry as the bag forced him to do a face plant in the cement. Candy wrappers, soda cans, and other useless junk littered the floor around him.

Arabell and I ran up to the man groaning on the ground who looked half in lala land. I bent down, trying to swallow my hopeless pride and not to smile as I picked up the girl's staff. I held it out to her, and she snatched away from me with a grumbled thanks.

"So," I asked her, "Jail or streets?"

Her eyebrows raised in surprise at my question. "Yeah," she said with a laugh, "You're definitely a newbie."

I frowned in confusion. "What?" I asked. "I think the dude learned something good tonight. On the other hand, he did have a gun and wanted to kill me with it. I feel kind of sorry for the idiot, though. Most of these thugs do it because they have no money. This steal could have fed a whole family for weeks."

"All villains deserve jail, Gene," she said strictly. "There is black and white. No gray." I disagreed with her, but held my tongue. Sometimes arguing just wasn't worth it. At that moment I didn't even want to talk to the girl.

"Fine, you go and drag him off to jail," I said defiantly to her as I crossed my arms. "I'm going home."

"What?" she asked in outrage. "You can't just leave me here, Gene! I was sent to help you, not do your freaking dirty work!" I honestly didn't care for her much and walked away. I could feel her anger pelt me with heat waves from behind. I'll admit that it was a bit harsh what I did, but I'm not perfectly nice like most other superheroes. I choose my own path. One not with her and her emotion stream.

The heat of rage from her died down. I turned slightly when hearing her run to catch up with me. A twinge of guilt tortured the corners of my heart when I felt her remorse. "Hey, sorry that I was so snobby back there," she said quietly to me.

"Most superheroes are competitive," I said with little emotion and a shrug as if it was my excuse for being so dang mean to her.

"You're not very heart warming, you know," she said. "In the future you are so open and welcoming. I just expected you to be that way in the past, so when you became hostile so did I."

We came out of the alley and started to slowly walk down the busy sidewalk. Brilliant neon lights flickered and shone down upon the crowds of Japanese and tourists, bathing their faces in reds, blues, pinks, and greens. It had to be close to one in the morning and there was still a thick throng of people.

Usually I enjoyed the energetic night life of Tokyo, but that night my head was suffering a massive headache from it cracking against the pavement, and I had a random girl trying to follow me home. I wasn't in a very pleasant mood.

"So I guess I don't die off when I get older," I said as I thought about what she said about me being in the future. I always thought I would die young because of my clone condition. I'm like a lab baby with fused DNA. I didn't expect to be functioning because I'd only be an experiment that goes wrong like those poor animals those sick lab geeks use to experiment different illegal things with you read about or see on TV. I always thought I would die with some brain tumor because my DNA went wrong.

"Yeah, you reach at least 30 in the future," Arabell said with a sweet smile. She was trying so hard to warm up to me now. She knew that I didn't have to bring her home or be nice to her. Now she was desperately back paddling to win me over. It was annoying.

Suddenly something dawned on me. I stopped and looked around. Arabell did the same while shooting me a questioning look. "I don't even know where the tourist that this purse belongs to is anymore," I muttered to answer her silent question. "Great."

"You don't think too far ahead too," she pointed out rather bluntly.

"Now what do I do with the purse?" I asked. "This will be one crappy night if I did all that for nothing."

"I'll handle it," Arabell said with a sigh. "Stay here for a second or two." She then disappeared with the purse in hand after tapping her staff on the ground. I frowned. I hoped she knew what she was doing. Five second later she appeared again without the purse.

"What did you do?" I asked, trying to keep the surprise inside. I didn't achieve my goal, and a street lamp's bulb a yard away exploded from my slip of emotion.

Arabell looked behind her with confusion then back at me before answering smugly, "I can control time. I can use any time device to do so or just on my own, but I work best with this staff for some reason. All I did was stop time for a few seconds and found the girl who had her purse stolen. I gave it back to her then came back here. Simple as that."

"That would have been helpful information when we first met," I said.

She smiled slightly while saying, "Sorry. I just didn't want to freak you out."

"And yet you did," I said. There was a pause between us before I finally broke it by saying with a sigh, "Fine. I'll let you spend the night at the house I'm staying at right now. But I want you gone in 24 hours. Understand?"

"I knew you had to be faking some of that meanness," she said slyly.

A/N: Sorry again for the lateness of this. Next chapter should be up in two weeks or so. All this week I have to work on my Creative Writing project which is a fan fic as well but for a cool book series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. So I have to write 6 chapters this length and get them all done by the 22nd. I've got two done so far. The frantic work is going to kill me.

But here is my great surprise for you readers! I finally got a digital camera so I took pictures of my artwork and put them online. Two pictures are of Arabell and Gene. I don't think I can put links on this site so I'll tell you what you gotta do to see my pictures. Go to and in the large search box at the top type in Arabell for Arabell and Gene Summers then hit newest to see Gene. My pen name there is nightwatcher06. Hope you like them! Please review!


	24. Chapter 4 Gene's Wonderful Life of Doom

A/N: Whew! I just typed out seven chapters to another fan fic in about two and a half weeks. Usually it takes me that long to type one chapter! I'm worn out, but I'm still typing my heart out. I've really missed working on this fic! Well, sorry for the delay. Please enjoy the chapter and give a review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's Teen Titans!

Chapter 4 Gene's Wonderful Life of Doom

Journal Entry 7

It seemed like the second I closed my eyes I was in that nightmare I call sleep. The bitter darkness that engulfed me was warm, too warm actually. The scorching air immediately made me sweat big drops of the odious liquid. A breeze filled with ashes would sometimes pass by from what seemed like nowhere, making me cough my lungs out.

The dreams were getting worse every night. They started out being dead cold and had built up to this lava like blackness. They were getting more life-like. Many times I would wake up expecting to be falling in some hot pit of molten rock.

I stood there in the darkness, waiting for the four infamous red eyes that would soon accompany me in my nightmare. For a minute I was left there alone to my own dreaded thoughts. The only sound was of my pounding heart and the rush of ashes being swept away by the wind.

I felt the eyes rather than saw them. A gasp escaped me as I spun around to be faced with the large blood red eyes that I knew could easily bore a hole in me. A sickening chill rested on my sweat laden shoulders as the deep Voice laughed at my fear. I could fight a million monsters and never feel the weakening sense of terror I felt when around this Voice.

"Soon, child, you will release me," the Voice said menacingly.

"I'm releasing no one, dude," I yelled at the Voice. Once again I was using anger to keep my fear away. The second I stopped to think about what I was doing, I knew I'd be a crying baby. I couldn't allow that.

The laugh boomed from all around me as the Voice found me pathetically amusing. I growled in anger and frustration. I was sick of coming here every time I tried to sleep. Every time I was met with fear, confusion, and millions of questions that seemed to never be answered. I just wanted this to stop. I'd give anything for a peaceful nights rest.

But no! I was Gene Summers. My life could never be fair! I was doomed to suffer and struggle for the things I wanted out of anything. Pain was my mentor and teacher. If I needed or wanted something, I'd have to fight tooth and nail for it. Torment was the bed I rested my head on every night. As rebellious as I was, I'd never change my path in life. I was going to have to deal with it.

Finally I couldn't stand being there in the dark anymore. "Who are you?" I screamed my frustration. "Show yourself for once!" I should have kept my dumb mouth shut.

"I believe it is finally time for you to see," the Voice said ominously.

Suddenly the darkness fell away as if someone had pushed a curtain aside to let in bright sunshine from a window. Just that this wasn't as nice as being awoken from sleep from a harsh ray of light. It was worse.

All around me was black and red rocks. Ash and pieces of skeletons accumulating dust were scattered throughout a barren hot wasteland with pools of boiling and hissing lava. The air somehow got hotter than before, threatening to kill me right there from the massive heat. No forms of life were seen, just the haunting feeling of tortured death.

"What is this place?" I whispered while taking a tentative step back. I wished for the black veil again, but I knew it would never come. I looked to where the eyes had been and had to fight the urge to scream.

There stood the massive body of which the Voice belonged to. I was a puny ant compared to the dude. He had red skin that matched his four narrowed eyes. He looked down upon me with a cruel smile touching the corners of his lips. Just seeing me almost freak out was making him very pleased.

"Oh jeez!" I muttered before taking off in a sprint. I tried to use my powers to make a force field to hop onto so I could get out of there faster, but of course my powers weren't working. I wasn't even surprised, just seriously pissed.

The ground hissed below me each time my shoe hit the rock. I winced as the heat went through my shoes and started to burn my feet. Suddenly I felt an earthquake and stumbled off balance, hitting the rocky ground with a cry of alarm. I glanced behind me just in time to see the Voice reached down with a hand to scoop me up. I was beginning to feel sorry for Thumbelina.

Before I could get up and run, the hand wrapped around my body and lifted me up to the Voice's face. The fast ride upward felt like a rollercoaster gone wild. The G forces which I experienced made me grimace as my head exploded into a migraine. My hope for passing out wasn't exactly coming true.

I was jerked to a stop, suspended maybe three stories into the air. I desperately tried to get out of the hold the one hand had on my whole body. No matter how much I squirmed and struggled the giant's hand wouldn't release me. I could feel the faint pulse of the giant's heart beat as his grip on me tightened slightly.

"You can not fight destiny, boy," the Voice boomed. "You will release me from this world and into yours. It is only the matter of time before your world is destroyed by my ultimate power. It is pointless to struggle."

I took in quick gulps of the searing air. My heart beat was sky rocketing. It took all I had not to totally freak out. I realized that if I let this guy loose, earth would be destroyed! But how was I going to stop this guy or even stand up to him? At the moment he was beating me with one hand.

Suddenly the Voice tightened his grip on my body. I let out a cry of pain as my body began getting crushed under the pressure. I couldn't breathe or move at all! Panic threatened to overtake my mind, but I fought the forbidden thought off. I wasn't going to die like this!

"C'mon, Gene!" I croaked to myself, eyes squeezed shut from the pain. My bones were going to all be crushed if I didn't pass out from the lack of air. "Wake up!" I screamed.

In a rush, I was back in my bed. I sat up with a giant gasp for air. Fat sweat drops fell off my forehead and soaked my sheets as I sat there taking big gulps, trying to get over my latest nightmare. I could still feel the hotness of that hellish place. My body ached all over as if the squeezing of the Voice's hand around my body had all really happened. I was scared out of my mind!

"Gene?" a soft voice from the door to my room called to me in a whisper.

I looked up and saw little Yuri there with her stuffed bear pressed closely to her chest. Yuri is the daughter of the Japanese family I was staying with in Tokyo for a few months. They were overjoyed to take me in because apparently the Titans had saved the city a little while back. Yuri took English classes at her private school, so she was fluent in the language. Her parents knew the language, but not as well as there beautiful seven year old daughter.

"Yeah, sweetie?" I asked with a weak smile. I could be the biggest bad ass if I wanted to, but when it came down to Yuri, I was a motherly pushover. She was like the brightest star in the sky at night. I loved her like the little sister I never had.

"I heard you were having a nightmare," she said softly. Her big black eyes showed concern for me. She lingered in my doorway for a second before racing across the wooden floor and to my bed. I let her jump into the bed next to me as she said, "I brought a book to read to you so you can go back to bed."

I smiled down at her and said, "You're so sweet. Which one did you pick out?"

Her face lighted up when I asked this. She placed a book on my lap and said, "I got this one just for you, so you won't have to be so slow when you read it to yourself. It is in the language you always speak in."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. The book was in English! It was the first thing in English I had seen in months. My smile widened at this. Yuri had gone out of her way to get a book for me to read. She was the sweetest little girl I'd ever seen.

"Thank you so much!" I said while giving her a small hug. She giggled at my over excitement as I opened the book, which was _Green Eggs and Ham_. I read part of it to her and then let her try and read the rest. She was still beginning to read in English, but she was smarter than any first grader I'd seen in the States.

Soon, she got too tired to stay awake. It had to be at least five in the morning by now. Arabell and, surprisingly, Kid Wicked were sleeping in the living room down the hall. The Hive Five member had been waiting for me when I got home early this morning. It was just another scoop of the crap that was piling up that day.

Since the teen was mute, he had written to me and Arabell that the Titans and other superpowered people had been kidnapped a week or two ago. He had been freed by Robin and told by the leader to find Gene Summers. I don't know what Robin was thinking when he asked for me to rescue him, but of course I couldn't just leave the whole team hanging. I'd have to go after them and hopefully not get caught myself. Goody.

Yuri fell asleep in mid sentence and curled up next to me. I gave a sigh, got out of my bed, and picked her up into my arms. The wooden floor creaked under our weight, but no one waked up as I carried the precious girl back to her pink and frilly room. I tucked her back into her own bed and headed for the bathroom to take a cold shower. I was burning up!

It was after the well needed ice cold pour of water on my head when the beginning of my torture began. My left wrist suddenly felt like it was on fire. I gave a muffled scream of pain and sat down on the side of the tub, looking over my arm with wide eyes.

A certain swear word threatened to escape me as I saw a strange mark start to burn its way onto my skin on my wrist. I watched with dread etched on my face as the mark burned there for a few seconds before retrogressing to a dull throb.

"Great, I'm going freaking insane!" I hissed at myself, getting up and marching across the bathroom. I yanked the closet door open and grabbed an old cleaning rag out that no one would notice missing. I tore the fabric a few times with my teeth and a good pull before wrapping the strips around my wrist where the mark was. I knew ignoring it would never make it go away, but I didn't want the constant reminder of my doom.

With that done, I silently left the bathroom and walked back to my room. The hallway was all dark, but light from a few windows in the living room in the front provided enough light to get me down the pathway without stumbling. I was halfway down when I felt a presence. For a second I couldn't pin point it, so I crouched down low in full stealth mode.

In a flash, the presence was located. The person was standing calmly right behind me. But instead of attacking, I slowly stood up. I knew who the intruder was even before my powers could detect recognition. It was Slade.

"Just give me a second," I told him in a low whisper before quickly walking into my room. After sniffing a few shirts I had littered around my room, I picked one that didn't smell like sweat. I shoved on a pair of jeans while at the same time managing to slip on my tennis shoes. I had always heard that both Robin and Raven were neat freaks. I for one could be one of the biggest pigs if allowed to. I absently wondered how I got that untidy trait from a combo of perfectionists.

Slade was waiting silently for me at the door with his arms folded in front of his chest. I tried to ignore the snoring Arabell and the mute Hive Five member while crossing the living room to the door. Slade narrowed his eye on me as I refused to give him more than a glance as I put on my sleeveless coat and walked right out the door of the upscale apartment in the middle of the busy metropolis.

Soon, the two of us were out of the apartment building I'd been living in for the past two months and were seated in the back of a small restaurant a block away. It was a nice little place, fashionable just like the Japanese family I was with. But I rarely visited it because it was so expensive. I had a budget with that card the Titans and Slade had given me.

I was all smiles and politeness when ordering my herbal tea, but went straight into business when our waitress retreated to the kitchen. Only a few drunks and early risers were seated around the place, but I still kept my voice low and dark as I demanded, "What do you want, Slade?"

The man paused for a second, not to choose his words carefully, but just to make me wait. We somehow had found the other's biggest pet peeves and whenever near we just picked at them to death. He loved to watch as I sighed in frustration and ran a hand through my hair. Patience was not my thing.

"Today is your birthday," Slade said in his usual unemotional tone.

"I have a birthday?" I asked sarcastically with a wicked grin flashing across my face. By the small rise and drop of temperature in the room, I knew I had made him annoyed with me. He didn't express the emotion outwardly, but my powers picked it up just the same.

"Yes," Slade answered, "You do. I stopped by to see if anything was wrong."

"Aw," I said, "You care about me. How nice. Can you leave now?"

"Well, is anything wrong?" Slade asked nonchalantly.

For some reason I felt disappointed not to feel the calming sense of concern from the man. Caring was never part of Slade's dictionary, but for once in my lifetime I just wanted to have someone feel something for me. I was confused why I wanted it so much out of this man. No matter what I tried, I could only produce anger and annoyance from the man. I felt more of a burden than anything else. But then why did he still pursue me?

"I'm fine and dandy," I answered with a simple shrug, "As fine and dandy as my life gets."

Slade studied me with a critical eye for a few moments. I fiddled with a pair of chopsticks, never raising my gaze to his as I suffered under his cruel speculation. I hated it when he observed me like he would a lab rat. I feel so exposed, as if under a microscope.

"You're lying," he finally said matter-of-factly.

I glared up at him and retorted, "I am not! How would you know, anyways?"

In a flash, Slade had a vice grip on my hand with the rag wrapped around it. I struggled for control, but Slade had already unwrapped the bandage to reveal the burn mark of an unknown symbol. He looked down at it for a moment with dread vibes engulfing me. Busted.

"When did this happen?" Slade demanded steadily. His mixed vibes betrayed his voice, though. Somewhere in there I tapped upon a hint of fear. Slade ever expressing this emotion surprised me. Like caring, I didn't think Slade had that emotion.

"It's a birthmark," I retorted disdainfully with the roll of my eyes. "I got it right before you showed up." I paused to let Slade get over my latest irritating comment to gain something of his favor before asking, "What does it mean?"

"That shouldn't concern you," Slade said while letting me go. I looked up at him with skepticism and waited for more. Yeah, like I shouldn't be worried about the mark that just so happened to be burned right into my skin! Oh, Slade could slay me with his jokes.

"Pack your bags and meet me at the airport in an hour," Slade said seriously. Before my stunned self could ask the big question of why, Slade explained. "You are too dangerous to be let out in public. Too many people might come after you. You will be safer with me."

I actually laughed right in his face after this. "Wow, you amaze me with all that confidence," I said with a wry grin, "Like I'm actually going to willingly fly on a plane back to the States with you. Sorry, Slade, but I already have another mission on my mind. Your rescue thoughts will have to be put on hold."

"What mission?" Slade asked me even though I could tell from his emotions that he had no confusion. He knew what I was planning to do. "The Titans and I have not given you any new missions recently."

"'Cause the Titans are kidnapped," I said. "I'm going to go save them. Robin sent Kid Wicked to come get me with an SOS. But you already knew this."

"You are foolish to believe you can do anything to help them," Slade pointed out.

"You are not talking me out of anything yet," I said stubbornly.

His eye narrowed in silent anger as he leaned forward in his seat. I could feel his fury wash over me in massive heat waves. I clenched my jaw and glared away from him. He wasn't, and actually couldn't, make me go with him, and he knew this. I had become pretty powerful with my dark abilities. He'd have to drag me back to the States with me kicking and screaming the whole way, which was something he wasn't prepared to do.

"If you do not obey me, boy, I will take away this life you now live," Slade hissed at me, his voice so dark it sent a spike of chill shooting down my spine. "I will take away the card, won't permit you to live with this Japanese family, and help you no more."

"I never wanted your help," I growled back. "I don't need your crap. I can save the Titans with Kid Wicked and the annoying future girl. Your assistance won't and never will be needed. I won't let the Titans hanging just because you said I wasn't safe for the public. And since when did you ever care for strangers or even me? I'm the lab rat, remember?"

His voice was like ice as he said, "You are not a damn superhero!"

A light bulb somewhere in the room exploded as my frustration and anger got the best of me. I had to close my eyes and calm a part of me before I could respond with as much coldness, "Everyone tells me this! I get the point by now! But I don't want to be heartless like you!"

With that said, I stormed out of the restaurant, ready to burst with the emotion swelling inside me. It was just the beginning of my suck fest that day.


	25. Chapter 5 Identity Crisis

A/N: This chapter is not very long. It has Robin and Raven in it, so sorry if you were hoping for one of the other Titans. You will read what they are going through soon, though. And this chapter might be a bit crappy because I was kind of writing through writer's block and wasn't exactly motivated like I usually am. Please review anyways! Thanks!

Disclaimer: Teen Titans plus me does not equal ownership.

Chapter 5 Identity Crisis

He woke up with his whole body feeling as if it had been bashed against a couple walls. Robin wasn't very pleased to find himself in his new situation. We swore under his breath as his masked eyes quickly scanned over the metal restraints locking his wrists and ankles to the cold chair he was forced to be seated in. He tried a few useless pulls and twists to break free, but the teen knew he wasn't getting out of his new mess any time soon.

With a sweep of his eyes, Robin observed the room he was placed in. It was pretty spacious with blue tiled floors and bare white walls just like the hallways he had ran through before passing out. So he was still in the same place his team was. Like the hallways, it had no windows, just a large metal door facing Robin. The chair he was seated in was right in the middle of the large room. Nothing else was there, which was creepy on Robin's part.

For six whole hours absolutely no one showed up. At least in his other cell he could move around freely. Being forced to sit on a cold slab of metal was nerving Robin out to no end. He was bored and a worried wreck. His team was in trouble and he was stuck sitting in a chair for hours! Soon his back began to get sore from sitting in the same place. The word uncomfortable had an all new meaning to Robin by the time somebody finally came into the room.

Robin's head shot up when he heard the door slide open almost silently. A slim lady in a long white lab coat walked in with her black high heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor and creating a soft echo in the room. Her brown hair was pristinely pinned up in a tight bun, and she carried a clipboard in one arm. She flashed Robin a sweet smile as she walked up to him. He returned it with a small frown.

"Now, Robin, I'm going to slowly go through this with you," she told him in a kind voice that Robin didn't trust. "If you need some help or comfort, I'll be standing right here. Do not hesitate to confide in me." Her eerie nice smile never left her face as she said this.

"What is going on?" Robin barked. "What are you going to do to me?" He tried to keep the rising dread out of his voice as he struggled fruitlessly against his binds. They were going to do something bad to him no doubt. Robin's gut twisted in anxiety as his imagination went wild. It took all his will power to prevent himself from screaming in frustration.

"We are purifying your mind, Robin," the white coat lady said. She looked down to her clip board and said loudly, "Begin process."

"No, stop!" Robin shouted back, "Whatever you're doing is – Ah!"

Suddenly an explosion happened in Robin's head that cut him off from reality. A flash showed him in his mind's eye him as a kid in the circus with his parents. And just like that, the memory was gone. He couldn't remember any of that flashback. They were taking away his memory!

Before Robin could protest, more memories like the other flashed across his brain. The painful sparks stopped right before his remembrance of his parents' death. There was a second pause as he floated back to reality where he was sitting across from the lady. His head felt light from the memory wipe, but he could still make out the lady smiling warmly back at him as he panted in his seat.

"Please stop this!" he pleaded with her, his voice almost desperate. These memories were his life! "Stop the freaking process!" he screamed at her right before his mind was zapped once more, and he was thrown back to flashbacks that he thought he would never see again. They went all the way up till halfway through his life as Batman's sidekick before giving Robin another small break.

In those few seconds, Robin's brain went into overdrive. He clenched his jaw in perseverance as he thought everything through. They were erasing his memory for a reason. Without that memory, Robin knew he would be open to anything. He could be bended to anyone's will. Without a strict upbringing with the Batman and his love for his team, Robin knew he could so easily slip into the shoes of a criminal. But he wouldn't allow that. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Robin was going to fight this thing, whatever was in his head, even if it killed him.

His mind plunged back into his flashback world. It hurt him profusely to do so, but Robin managed to force his mind not to give the eraser some of his memoirs. Quickly, the thing that was controlling his mind spat Robin back into realism. The lady wasn't smiling anymore. She was staring at Robin with confusion in her brown eyes.

Robin winced as he was taken back and forth between these two worlds. The process was agonizing on Robin's head, giving him the feeling of his skull being split into two. Sometimes he let loud yells as striking pain attacked his brain to try and make him submit to the process. The whole thing was destroying all of Robin's energy, and soon he was fighting for his very life. Every muscle of his strength was put into blocking this thing in his head.

This battle for survival lasted an hour, but seemed like a year for Robin. The boy had fought with everything he had to successfully keep half his memories. His mind hung desperately onto those he had left, never letting them go for a second in fear the eraser would return to gobble them up like it did with the rest of his life.

"Mind wipe complete," a mechanical voice emotionlessly echoed throughout the room. Robin felt the presence of the eraser menace vanish as he was placed back into the room.

Suddenly the weight of what had just happened pressed upon Robin. He fought back the tears that overwhelmed him. His whole body felt like it was dead. The boy squeezed his eyes shut; focusing on controlling his irreverent breathing so he didn't have to deal with the pain he had been forced into. So much was lost. So much apart of him was gone. His heart ached for those memories he loved and loathed because even those ones he hated defined him as greatly as the good ones.

"Okay, Robin," the lady said softly. Robin was shivering uncontrollably in his seat, struck by some unknown cold force. He lifted his throbbing head to look at the lady and saw her bending down close to him, concern in her wide eyes. "That was really bumpy for you, I know, and I'm really sorry."

Robin couldn't bear to look at her anymore. He glared down at his knees and tried not show his internal and external pain that was perpetually attacking his body. "Bumpy" was an extreme understatement. It had been one of Robin's hardest battles yet. He was just thankful to actually be alive.

"Now I just need you to hang on for a few more minutes as we give you something that will make you feel better, alright sweetheart?" she said.

Robin couldn't even say a simple no as his mind was flung back into the flashback world. He clutched onto his stored memories like his life depended on them. But this world was different. Whatever was in his brain now wasn't taking anything from him. It was actually giving him artificial memories.

Robin watched in curiosity as he was given flashes of a life living in the structure he was now in. He was bestowed a whole new identity that was in cahoots with the people owning the building. Robin realized that because he still had other memories, he could easily tell the difference between his real life and the latest being showed to him. Things were about to get very interesting.

When he was spit back into reality, Robin had everything he could ever hope for on information on the place he was trapped in. But he would have to play their sick game for as long as he could. He would have to actually be this new person they had tried to make him into. Once he formed a plan, though, he'd be out with his team in the blink of an eye. Even though he had a wonderful opportunity placed in front of him, he was in the most dangerous seat. One wrong move could kill him.

"Do you feel better now?" the lady asked while lightly patting Robin's back. The teen hid his sly, revengeful smile by lowering his head after giving a faint nod. They were all going to pay for doing this to him and his team. And with that promise to himself, Robin welcomed the serenity of the darkness as he blacked out.

-Raven-

As Robin was worrying himself over for the six hours on his torture seat, Raven was hard at work at trying to identify the building the team had been taken to. Somehow the people who had put her into this cell knew she could create portals because she couldn't come up with one after about a full hour of trying. She would have to resort to her greater, more powerful magic.

She tried for hours to cast her astro self outside her walls. It was difficult, but she saw that it was possible. She took a two hour break then finally levitated a foot off her cell's floor in the lotus position. She closed her eyes and blocked the world out from around her.

With the light whisper of her words, Raven suddenly found her soul self outside her body. Without glancing back at her earthly stoic form, Raven raced ahead with all her power to go through the walls that contained her. There was no sound as she struggled against the barrier.

With one last push, she was through and zipping in every direction as quickly as she could to memorize the place her captives had put her in. She then flew out of the building and surprisingly found herself in the middle of the ocean. They were below ground! With a new burst of energy, she took off to the surface, racing against the five minute clock that was slowly ticking downward against her. If she didn't make it back to her body in that amount of time, she could be stuck in her astro form for the rest of her life.

It didn't take long for her to find out that the entrance to the building was on a lonely island. The island was mixed in with the hundreds that made up Indonesia. Raven didn't waste as she time to speed off Tokyo to find Gene. He needed to know where to go if he wanted to rescue them. Robin hadn't told the sorceress that he had sent Kid Wicked and Red X to Gene, but Raven had picked up his thoughts toward his goal before her leader passed out.

Raven found Gene storming out of a restaurant. He didn't look very happy, but she didn't care. She had very little time left. The girl plunged herself into Gene, fully bombarding his every thought and emotion. There was a second where she saw his past. Something like sympathy overcame her astro mind as all she saw was pain. Naturally, Raven overcame all of Gene's anger and mixed matched feelings as she took control over him.

_Hey!_ Gene's panicked voice screamed at her. _What are you doing? Is that you, Raven?_

"Yes, it is me," Raven said out loud in her own voice. Some early risers glanced at her. She was in a guy's body with a girl's voice. Strange enough, the concept didn't disturb the public. "I do not have much time left, Gene. I need to tell you where the Titans and others are being held."

_Well, go ahead, quickly!_ Gene's voice told her. It felt awkward to have his body run by someone else, but he knew it would only last less than a minute.

"I'm going to give you some of my memory of the place you need to go," Raven explained in a rush of words. She had so little time left! "We are in a very dire situation! Please hurry!"

Before Gene could ask anything, Raven flung herself away from the body. For a second she heard Gene give a loud gasp as he was returned with control of his body and mind without any warning at all. She felt his stare as he watched her fly away at a death defying speed. Then she was racing across the lands and the ocean, back to her body, competing against time.

Coming back through the wall was easier than coming out. Raven rushed past the wall and collided violently with her body with a few seconds to spare. She gasped while falling to the floor with her cape snapping as it jerked behind her. For a minute all she could do was lay there, too weak to get up. She had cut the timing very close.

Finally, a smile crossed her features as she realized she had done something productive for her team. Raven knew Gene would let nothing stop him now from coming and rescuing them. He had the flare of determination in him just like Robin. Oh, she hoped with everything in her for her leader to be okay.

A/N: I know, boring last two chapters. I swear the plot picks up on the next one, though. More fight scenes are to come too! Please review! Thanks!


	26. Chapter 6 Horrors of the Subway

A/N: I've been reading this book that is in present first person POV. So for some reason I keep typing this chapter at random times in that tense even though Gene writes in past first person POV. I'm really sorry if I don't catch a few sentences here and there that is not in the correct tense. My mind has been a whirlwind all week. Blah! Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Nope. Nunca. I don't own the Teen Titans.

Chapter 6 Horrors of the Subway

Journal Entry 8

I closed the door to the apartment behind me with a tired sigh. I leaned against the cold metal entrance while closing my eyes to relax my troubled emotions. What had I just done?

In the matter of two hours, I had thrown my whole life away. It was goodbye Tokyo and hello to…I had no idea. That was the problem. I didn't know what the heck I was doing! How was I to lead a mute kid and an annoying girl who claimed she was from the future? I had my own pathetic problems to deal with, like preventing an evil demon guy from another dimension from destroying this world. You would think that would be enough.

I ran a hand through my hair, clearing my thoughts with another sigh. Robin had leadership written all over his genes. I was part him, so I should have some of his talent. My only problem was that I wasn't all Robin. The Raven part of me was afraid out of its mind about controlling the group that was going to go rescue the teen superheroes.

Finally summing up enough nerve, I marched over to the two forms spiraled out on the living room floor. Arabell was snoring loudly by now, deep in her peaceful sleep. I pushed the envy out of me while kicking both of them lightly. Arabell moaned in protest, but I kept pestering the two till they glared up at me with bleary eyes.

"Time to go," I said down to them. A smile crept to my lips as I saw their eyes narrow even more at me, and I felt their deep annoyance. Bugging people was becoming my favorite past time.

"It's like six in the morning, Gene," Arabell croaked from where she was hiding under her pillow. "Can't leaving wait till eight or something?"

"No," I said while putting my hands on my hips. "The Titans need our help." I nudged her a little with the tip of my foot, laughing slightly when she tried to hit me but couldn't find my leg because she was still covering her head with her pillow.

The sound of a zipper being unzipped made me leave my torturing of Arabell and avert my attention to Kid Wicked. He was sitting on stool in the small attached kitchen and was opening my newly bought backpack. I rushed over to him just in time to see the teen's eyes widened when pulling out a huge wad of cash. He shot me a questioning look as I snatched the backpack and bills away.

To answer his silent question, I pulled out the empty card that Slade had given me six months ago. Then out of a flash of anger, I burned it with a flare of my dark powers in the palm of my hand. Kid Wicked watched in mild interest as the thing shriveled up into ashes. Before Slade was able to cancel the use to the card, I had gone to every ATM machine I knew and drew 500 dollars from each. I had swiped it through five machines before it was spat back out, declaring the use of it over.

"Pack everything," I told the two. "We aren't ever coming back."

I then left them to get my few belongings in my room. I shoved some clothes into my old backpack along with some notebook paper for writing my life on. I had a feeling my existence was going to go through another suck fest soon, and writing it all down was going to be my only escape.

I paused when picking up the book Yuri had bought for me. Just the thought of leaving this wonderful family was killing me inside. For the past few months I had begun to miss something else other than Zach and Rose. I really longed for my old family. My parents and I had been pretty close. The most I missed about them was the wisdom from age that they had and their constant care and love for me. For months I hadn't had any of that. In this Japanese family I had soaked up their love. Leaving it all would be a hard thing for me to do.

"What is taking you so long?" Arabell's voice cut into my thoughts like a blade. I cringed at the thought of just her. Man, that girl was annoying! "I thought you were the one who wanted to leave!" she added.

"Coming!" I shot back in something near to a bark. It took me a second to keep a hold on my fleeting emotions, but I was soon back to my normal self. I stuffed the book into my backpack and hastily scribbled down a note of apology and goodbye to the family. Like everything else in my life that I loved, I was going to have to leave it or loose it.

I walked calmly out of the room while shouldering my backpack. I threw Arabell the one with money in it and headed straight for the door. "Let's move out!" I said commandingly. "I don't want to spend the whole day at the airport."

"Where are we going?" Arabell asked as she ran to catch up with me. All three of us rushed down the stairs and out of the apartment building. The morning was bright and cheerful. Everyone was on their way to work with the atmosphere bustling and busy. I liked the feelings coming from the people in the city. Morning emotions always highlighted my senses.

"Hopefully we can get a plane ticket right to Indonesia," I answered.

"Indonesia?" she asked incredulously.

"Raven told me to go there," I said as I picked up my pace. We had to get on the subway if we ever wanted to get to Haneda airport before every ticket outside the country was gone or too expensive. Getting on the subway meant a very crowded area that I was going to have to endure. I really disliked the subway and usually tried to avoid it, but that day we were in a hurry.

"How did she tell you that?" Arabell asked. She asked too many questions. I couldn't blame her, though. I'd be asking them if I was her too. The problem was that I didn't know how to answer.

"I don't know," I said with an annoyed sigh, "She just got into my brain somehow and told me. We can do that to each other." I glanced over to her to see if she was looking at me like the idiot I was but was surprised to see her nodding as if she got it all. I then glanced over to the ever quiet Kid Wicked to see how he was doing. He was dead pan as usual. We were good!

The Tokyo subway is very much like New York's, but with more people. I lead my small team down under the busy streets of the city. I set my jaw and blocked my mind from all the unwanted bombardment of emotions pelting me. Something of a headache was already threatening to destroy my head. Did I mention I hated the subway?

"Everything is in Japanese," Arabell observed as we stopped by the subway map on a wall. "How are we going to know where to go or where we are?"

"I know some Japanese," I said. I scrutinized the map while the whole time having my senses freak out because the mass of people crammed into the small man mad tunnel. "We'll be fine," I told her when feeling her worriment. "We're in Komagome station. All we have to do is catch a train going to Shimbashi or Hamamtsucho and we'll be at Haneda airport in less than an hour."

I turned around after showing them with my forefinger where we were going on the map. Kid Wicked was looking at me with surprise in his widened eyes. Arabell ran a hand through her hair in confusion before smiling brightly at me.

"Whatever you say," she said. Kid Wicked shrugged to tell me he was okay with anything. "How many other languages do you know?" Arabell asked while we headed for the train.

"English," I said with a sly grin.

"I know_ that_," she said with a sigh. "Any others that we might want to know about?"

"I just was taught French a few months ago, a little Spanish and Italian, and…Latin," I answered, trying to get my mind off the crowd.

"Latin?" she asked in surprise.

"Don't ask," I answered.

"Well, aren't you the linguist?" she said with laugh. "They don't tell us that in superhero school." I gave her a shrug with a small smile playing at the corners of my lips. I had never thought of me being so good with languages. I guess it came pretty naturally to Robin and Raven.

My semi happy feeling was quickly smothered out when I felt a spike of hostile emotion flare powerfully throughout the station we were waiting at. I frowned in confusion and spun around; searching the crowd to pen point the location this emotion was coming from. Kid Wicked caught onto my change of mood and looked around with me.

"What is it?" Arabell asked in a whisper.

"Something is wrong," I said quietly. My eyes flew around the packed area, desperately fanning out the crowd for the face I was dreading to see. Suddenly my eyes caught hers. My breath got jammed up in my throat as Daphne Hawthorne's piercing cold eyes narrowed onto me. There was a second as the crowd seemed to part between us to let the two enemies take each other in.

"Get into the train," I told Arabell and Kid Wicked. I slowly started to back up while still keeping my eyes locked on the woman. Arabell started to protest, telling me it was the wrong train. "Just go!" I shouted at her.

Quickly we ran into the train. I saw Daphne bring up a walkie-talkie to her lips and shout orders into it. Oh jeez! She had her gun squad with her! My mind was slammed into overdrive as this information sunk into my head.

The doors to the train were just closing when Daphne brought out her pistol and aimed it at me. Thinking fast, I created a large force field by crossing my arms. The bullet she fired soon after went right through the glass of the door and melted against the black shield I had formed. Everyone in the section screamed at the sound of smashing glass and at the sight of my powers.

Before anyone could leave the subway car, though, the train started up and took off down the dark tunnel for its next destination. The force of the moving car almost made me fall over, but Arabell grabbed my shoulder to steady me.

"What is _she_ doing here?" I exploded in anger. Arabell screamed loudly as she was suddenly shot upward by my released emotion. She hit the ceiling and came back down and landed on her butt. Everyone near gasped while backing away from me in fear.

"Sorry," I muttered while helping the girl up. She glared daggers at me but accepted my outstretched hand anyways. Kid Wicked gave me a concerned look. I ran a hand through my hair before saying, "That lady who shot at me always has back up. We can't stay here unless we want to be mowed down my bullets at the next stop."

"Then what do we do?"

I thought for a second before coming up with an idea. "Follow me," I said with confidence in my voice. I hadn't had to think like this in a long time. I was surprised how much I didn't mind it. Actually, I kind of missed the feeling of being on the edge and being forced to use my skills. At the same time I was seriously pissed off that Daphne was there. That lady just didn't know when to quit.

Kid Wicked and Arabell followed me as we pushed our ways through the mash of people in the subway car. Most of the people let me through out of the fear they had of my powers. I got to the back of the car and forced the metal door handle down with a grunt.

"Whoa! Isn't opening those only for emergencies?" Arabell pointed out.

"What do you call this?" I asked before lifting a leg and kicking the door open. As the slab of metal busted open, a rush of moist warm air engulfed me. The blaring sound of the train screeching across the track prevented me from hearing any of Arabell's other comments.

Without a word, I ventured out onto the thin platform between the car and the next one. I grabbed Arabell's wrist and pulled her next to me. Kid Wicked faithfully came out without me having to force him to. He then helped me close the door and latch it shut.

"What are we doing?" Arabell yelled above the loud sound of the train. She really liked to ask questions, didn't she? I almost wanted to push her off the subway right there because of her irritating level.

"Ye of so little faith," I shouted back instead of taking the time to answer. I caught Kid Wicked actually grinning widely as I said this. I returned the grin, but it didn't stay there for as long as I wished it too. Suddenly the car lurched under us as the subway braked to an ear splitting slow pace. We were thrown into the other car then back again at the driving force of physics.

"Okay, we're going to jump down now," I told the two. Arabell's face went pale, and I felt her ice cold spike of fear. "Don't ever feel that emotion again, please," I said weakly to her, reeling from her sudden reaction. "Trust me," I told her steadily, "Just ease yourself between the tracks and you'll be fine. I'll go first to prove it to you."

My small team watched as I hung onto the two poles linked each other to keep the cars together. I let myself swing upside down so that I was now under the braking subway train. I chewed my lower lip while lowering my body close to the concrete rushing beneath me. Before my brain could tell me no, I let go and landed roughly in between the tracks.

Holding my breath, I watched as subway cars flashed over me. I let my pent up breath out slowly when the last car finally past over me and I was bathed in semi darkness. Suddenly Kid Wicked's head was looming over me. I gave a small gasp at his sudden appearance before scrambling back to my feet. I'd forgotten the guy was master of portals.

"Don't scare me like that!" I whispered harshly at him. Even my hushed voice made an echo on the subway walls. His only response was a slight evil smile. "And why couldn't you have teleported us to the next station or something?"

A hand shot out of his blue cape with a notepad in it. In the dim lighting of the tunnel I could read out _Too Weak_. I nodded to indicate I understood, and the hand vanished again into the cape. We then started to run deeper into the tunnel.

We found Arabell staring up at the ceiling from where she had dropped off the car. She was fine except for the fact that she was hyperventilating. She seemed to heal from her latest scare as we leaned over her with smirks. She shot up and punched me in the shoulder before storming off. "Don't ever make me do that again!" she hissed at me.

All three of us then started to run down the dark subway tunnel in the direction the subway had been going. Soon we arrived at the very last car. I jumped up to the door there and peered through the grimy window to see what was going on. I saw two men with large rifles in hand combing the crowd of scared Japanese for me.

"Exactly what I thought," I muttered before jumping back down from the small platform. "We gotta move quickly," I told my team before running into the narrow passageway between the subway and the grit covered brick wall. They followed without question.

When we got to the brightly lit platform, I hesitantly looked over the edge to see what was going on. Swarms of men with rifles had warded off any Japanese people. They had moved into that subway station like unwanted termites to the insides of a tree. This was going to be a problem.

"Now what?" Arabell asked hopelessly.

"Its time for me to work some magic," I said with a wry smile. "Stay very close to me and try to keep up," I told both of them. I let out a long breath then pulled myself up onto the platform. My team did the same beside me. In seconds every rifle barrel was turned our way.

"Run," I whispered to them before barreling into the fray. Muttering my mantra, I quickly brought up a black force field in the shape of a bubble around my team and I. Bullets pelted my shield as the men open fired from all around. I faintly remember Arabell screaming loudly till she realized the bullets were melting into the force field protecting her. Smoke flooded the small area, choking the gun squad in its gray haze.

With the push of my arms, the bubble turned into a vertical black wall and slammed forcefully into men on our sides. The men gave yells of pain and surprise as they were rammed into each other before crashing miserably into pillars or walls. Smoke stung my narrowed violet eyes as I kept a steady pace of a run. With a battle yell, I created another black wall and flung it ahead of me. More men were plowed over by the incredible dark energy.

We took the steps two at a time till we were finally back in the busy city morning air. I didn't stop running as we exited the subway station. We raced down the sidewalk, dodging innocent bystanders too slow for our liking. We had to put distance between the subway and us. It would take the Tokyo police some time to get there. Till then we were all on our own.

Apparently the subway had taken us to a station pretty close to the airport we had been heading to. When I ran through the open gates to the Shiba Park entrance, my heart felt a flit of hope. I had been to this park before to work on some meditation. It was about a 12 minute walk from the Hamamtsucho station that would take us straight to the airport.

"We're close to the airport!" I told my team behind my shoulder, not caring to hide the excitement in my voice. They smiled at me, delighted with the good news. But suddenly the joy I felt from them vanished. I didn't need to see them stop with shock and horror written on their faces to literally get smashed with these emotions. With a wince, I skidded to a stop in front of them and looked ahead.

Before I could get a hold on my surprise, a gasp escaped me. Daphne and her team had predicted my moves too accurately. There she stood in the middle of a grassy field with about five men from her always present gun squad. They had completely blocked our way of getting across the park to the other exit close to the Hamamtsucho station.

We were trapped.

End of Journal Entry 8

A/N: This was originally going to be a much long chapter, but when it got to be about nine pages long I had to cut it in half. Sorry that I couldn't include the fight scene about to come up, but I'll make it up to you readers by maybe posting the second half of this chapter on Monday because that day I have off of school. It might take some extra reviews to persuade me, though. I'm still mulling the idea over in my head. So if you readers want an extra chapter this weekend, I advise you all to review. I'm so sneaky. Just kidding. I love you silent readers too.


	27. Chapter 7 New Addition to the Dream Team

A/N: This chapter is more on the long side. I just couldn't fit everything into a small space. But there is an awesome fight scene coming up! So sit back and enjoy…and please review!

Disclaimer: Wishing will get you nowhere. That is why I don't own the Teen Titans.

Chapter 7 New Addition to the Dream Team

Journal Entry 9

"Let's go around!" Arabell called to me from where she was already running the opposite way. When I didn't move right away, she stopped her retreat with Kid Wicked and yelled at me, "C'mon, Gene!"

"No," I told her without averting my eyes from Daphne, who was waiting for my next move. Her gun men were aiming right at us, itching for her command to go ahead and shoot. But her goal wasn't my murder, but for my capture. "If we go around so will they. Our only option is to fight."

"Are you serious?" Arabell yelled at me from behind. "We can't fight!" I glanced back at her and Kid Wicked with a frown. Her doubt was strong in her voice, but the emotion was weak.

Kid Wicked didn't look like he wanted to fight at all. He was still weak from his extreme portal ride from Indonesia to Japan. He would rather like to play it safe, but he was ready to go to war if I said so. That's what was so cool about him. He was loyal to anyone he was with.

"Either we fight her here or out on the streets where a lot of innocent people could get hurt," I said to her. I knew her weakness. She was trained on strict superhero rules. It was better to save innocent bystanders than to put them in danger. If I knew her right enough, this one planted thought could change her stubborn mind.

"Fine," Arabell finally said with a defeated sigh. "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" I asked, a little stunned by this question.

"You're the leader, Gene," Arabell said. "You've had a plan this whole time. What is it now?"

"But that was all made up on the spot," I said to get myself away from the leader spotlight. Arabell narrowed her eyes at me and gave me a distasteful look. Kid Wicked folded his arms across his chest and waited for a better answer. Did they really trust me that much to thrust so much responsibility on my shoulders? The thought scared and thrilled me at the same time.

"So," Arabell asked again, "What's the plan?" Her tone was sharp, and along with Kid Wicked's stare, their power berated me into submission. I chewed my lower lip while forcing my brain to think ahead. The creative juices began to flow as the seconds ticked on against me. Sooner than later Daphne was bound to become impatient with our stalling and let her men open fire on us. Time was against us.

We barely stood a good chance against the men with their rifles. If we got hit by one of those massive bullets we would be out of this game called life for good. A sly smile crept to my weary features as an idea hit me. There was a way for me to make the odds more even.

"Can you two distract them for a minute?" I asked them while sitting down right there in the grass. I crossed my legs and went into the lotus position for some quick meditation. Big moves meant having more of a clear mind. This next move I wanted to perform would need just that.

Arabell looked put off at first. She opened her mouth to protest, but Kid Wicked cut her off as he nudged her with his elbow. She glared at him with rage of being interrupted, but her fire was quickly put out when she saw the mute shake his head no and nod over to Daphne and her team. I gave him a smile of thanks before watching the two run past me.

I didn't allow myself to watch them in whatever distracting techniques they had planned to execute. I closed my eyes and centered my whole being on my breathing. Some gunfire echoed in the distance, too far away in my mind for it to matter. The mantra that binds my power was repeated in my head as the world was blocked from my mind. This only takes a few seconds, but for me it seems like a few long, peaceful hours. I hadn't meditated in days. This small break from the chaos was like a wave of serenity.

But I didn't let myself meditate any longer than I had to. I suddenly opened my eyes and stood up. During my meditating I had somehow gotten myself to levitate just like Raven did the last time she met up with me for a session. I didn't let this thought disrupt my clear and vibrant mind, though. I calmly walked into the field, looking straight ahead at Daphne.

"Cease fire!" I heard Daphne order her men. Arabell ran to my side while Kid Wicked stepped out of a portal to join me. Daphne called over to me in her military like voice, "Gene Summers, you are under arrest. If you do not come quietly, I will be forced to make you comply."

I didn't answer her. Instead I put out both my hands that erupted into black flames as I let my power flow through them. The men by the lady's side cocked their weapons. They knew I was about to do something. Daphne watched in dreaded curiosity as I made my hands into fists.

I could feel myself become part of every gun the five men were holding. After letting out a quick breath, I whispered my mantra and flung both my outstretched arms to the right side of my body. The rifles were ripped from the men's hands all at the same time and clanked loudly on the ground some yards away. I let my power go from them and put my hands on my hips.

"Now how are you going to force me?" I asked Daphne with a smug smile.

The woman frowned deeply in anger as her cold eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Arrest his friends!" she barked at her men who were still reeling from their massive loss. Her glare rested upon me as she added coolly, "Summers is mine."

An unsettling feeling twisted my stomach into a knot when she said this. Her anger was like a thick mist…just like the kid who controlled air from six months ago. My confidence vanished as some flashes from my fight with him tortured my spark of uncertainty. What if he was here? What if this fight ended up like my last one? I didn't have anyone to save me or my friends this time.

"Any advice, oh wise one?" Arabell asked me as all three of us backed up slowly. We weren't as confident as we wished we were.

"Um…yeah," I said with a weak smile, "Don't get arrested."

"Nice," Arabell muttered. She quickly brought her staff in front of her, and in a flash she was gone. I saw her reappear behind a gun man and whacked him in the back of the head. The man slumped to the ground out cold. A smile crossed the girl's lips before she bended time again and disappeared.

Kid Wicked was quickly putting his power to use by creating a portal above some man's head. He made it drop over the man, gulping the guy up in one small move. He was using his energy wisely.

I didn't have more time to watch my team. Daphne came at me with a powerful roundhouse kick. With an alarmed yell, I ducked from the leg swinging over my head. Before I could get over her first attack, the lady brought up her other leg and kneed me in the side of my head. I landed roughly on my side and quickly rolled out of the way as she brought down her heel.

I scrambled ungracefully to my feet with my eyes wide in surprise. I didn't suspect Daphne to be a good combat fighter. With a grunt, I crossed my arms and made a shield just as Daphne came at me with a few hard punches. I needed to get over my small shock and get into the game.

Letting my shield go, I swirled on my left leg and executed a sharp kick to Daphne's chest. My foot met its mark and sent the woman a few steps backwards. She then came at me with another punch. I created a small black platform for me to jump onto. I sprung off the black slab of magic and flipped over the woman coming at me.

I landed in a tight crouch behind Daphne and shot up right away. I spun around only to get a fist smashed into my nose. With a wince I stumbled backwards. I had barely any time to protect myself as Daphne came at me with a series of quick moves. Without thinking too deeply about it, I swiped my hands through the air and created short lasting force fields to prevent any of Daphne's moves from coming too close to me.

Finally we stood back to catch a breath. I took this small hiatus to check up on my team. Arabell was losing passion as the battle wore on. She was a novice superhero and hadn't fought this hard for so long before.

"This needs to end soon!" she shouted over to me before disappearing again. She reappeared next to a guy sneaking up on Kid Wicked and knocked him hard with her staff. Kid Wicked thanked her with a smile. The poor teen was wasted of all energy by now. He could barely create a portal as he weakly gasped for air at Arabell's protective side.

"Just a few more minutes, guys," I told them. "Hang on."

"Behind you!" Arabell suddenly yelled at me. I already knew what was there. I swiftly crouched down low to the ground and kicked out my leg. Daphne's punch went over my head as my heel shoved itself into her stomach. The lady gave a sharp gasp for breath while bending over in pain.

Arabell took this time to use her staff on Daphne when the lady was defenseless. With one last whack, Daphne was out for a good few minutes. I slowly stood back up with a relieved sigh. My senses suddenly told me there were more people than just us there. Before I could react, we were surrounded by more gunmen. They must have been the guys in the subway who had finally caught up with their knocked out leader. I was guessing they weren't too happy with me flinging them around like puppets a few minutes ago.

A cold piece of metal was pressed against the back of my head. I had to close my eyes to prevent my emotions from releasing. We had fought pretty hard. I was proud of my team for doing so much without question. I just wished I could have led them to victory instead of this painful defeat.

I could do nothing as my arms were forced behind my back and handcuffed tightly together. I opened my eyes and looked up at Arabell and Kid Wicked, who were getting the same treatment with rifles pointed at their skulls. Kid Wicked was going quietly. On the other hand, Arabell was thrashing around and shouting incoherently at the men trying to handcuff her.

After a few rough minutes of struggling, the men were able to get Arabell to comply. I couldn't hold it back as I flinched when making eye contact with the girl. She wasn't angry like she looked. She was scared out of her mind. Ice tentacles crawled up my spine when our eyes met. She used anger to control her fear just like I have done. But fear had finally won its war over us and had my team and me in its cold grasp.

"I said kneel, damn it!" the man aiming his rifle at me repeated sharply. His command suddenly made its way to me. Before I could obey, he shoved a booted foot onto my back, forcing me to my knees with a small yell. Another gun barrel joined the other pressed against my head. If I did anything I'd be dead.

"Hawthorne is out," a man said to the second in command standing next to me. "What do we do with these two?" he asked while pointing to Kid Wicked and Arabell. I lifted my gaze from the grass to my friends with my mouth going dry. The fear coming from both of them was freezing me to the bone. I didn't realize at the time that I was shivering.

"We are only here for the boy," the second in command guy said. "We have him now. Dispose of the others. Leave no evidence."

"Yes, sir," the man said with a nod.

"No!" I whispered in disbelief. Something in me suddenly sparked. I had only been leader of these two for less than an hour, but that didn't mean I wasn't attached. Kid Wicked was nice to me even when he wasn't on my side. Arabell was the most annoying person I had met besides Slade, but lately I had begun to take a liking to her. They couldn't die like this! Not on my watch!

"No!" I screamed at the man heading over to the men aiming their rifles at my team's heads. The guy turned around in surprise of my outburst. "Don't touch them!" I yelled desperately. "You've got what you want. You've got me! Please just leave them alone."

The man paused for a second as he thought it over. He changed his mind when the second in command glared harshly at him. He turned back around and headed to my team with stiff steps.

"No, you can't do this!" I screamed, pushing myself to my feet.

"Hold him down, men!" the second in command ordered when he saw me get up.

I didn't even take two steps before being grabbed by about five beefy arms. I gave a loud yell of distress and kicked the air in front of me, struggling with everything I had to get free. I was forced onto my stomach and ordered to stay still or die. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. Three men were holding me down.

All I could do was watch in horror as Kid Wicked and Arabell were forced to their knees at gun point. I was screaming at the top of my lungs for it all to stop. This couldn't be the end of line! I just couldn't accept it. There was a second where I was about to resort to that monster I had turned into six months ago with the help of Red X. I had promised myself never to return to that dark state of mind, but if it was going to save my team, I had to.

Then a miracle happened.

The sound of helicopter blades swiftly cutting through the air suddenly exploded into all of our ears. The wind around us swirled everywhere. I stopped yelling and craned my head to look up to see what was going on. The men stopped their execution to stare up at the helicopter now flying a few yards above us.

"I have missiles, and I'm not afraid to use them on your sorry little asses!" the pilot of the helicopter shouted into a microphone headset. His voice boomed out of the speaker system on the copter. I knew the voice, but I just didn't think that he would be here. All I could do was drop my jaw in disbelief.

"Now," Red X spat into his microphone, "To prevent yourselves from blowing up, I advise you release the kid and his friends. If you harm them in any way, I'll lock onto your butts and make you never able to sit for the rest of your pathetic lives!" The gun men just stared at the copter and its hanging missiles in frozen shock. "Get moving!" Red X shouted to zap the men into action.

I was lifted back to my feet as quick as a wink. The other two were given the same course of action. As the handcuffs were on their way to coming off, I stole a quick glance over to my team. Arabell looked deeply confused but relieved. Kid Wicked was grinning from ear to ear, silently laughing for some unknown reason. I couldn't help but smile as well. This was a very good surprise on our parts.

As soon as the handcuffs were off of all of us, the three of us raced to the ladder let down from the helicopter. I let the others go up first. We zipped up the ladder and stuffed ourselves into the small cabin. Red X gave us some headphones to protect our ears before ordering us to strap into our seats.

Arabell suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck with a giddy laugh. I laughed at her sudden emotion change and from the relief washing over me. Arabell hugged Kid Wicked as well, but didn't get much of a response from the teen. We got into our seats just as Red X steered us away from the park and toward the airport.

"I'm glad I wasn't too late," Red X said to us through the headphones. "You guys looked to be on the very end of your rope. Shrimp looked like he was ready to get himself killed with all those guys on him." He laughed light heartedly at this.

"Where did you come from?" I asked him with a grin, ignoring the nickname he had bestowed upon me six months ago. "And how do you know how to drive a helicopter?"

"There are many things I've picked up during my lame years not being Red X. But didn't Kid Wicked tell you about me?" Red X asked.

"No," Arabell and I answered at the same time. We looked over to Kid Wicked with mock anger in our glares. He stared back at us with his arms folded in front of him and gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Well, the definition of serious himself, Robin, made sure both Kid Wicked and I went to Japan," Red X explained. His quick American way of talking was refreshing after hearing so much Japanese and Arabell's constant questioning. "I told Kid Wicked that I would be back for him soon," Red X said. "I guess he didn't believe me."

"Shocking," I mumbled into my microphone.

"I heard that, shrimp," Red X shot back.

"Aw, he calls you shrimp," Arabell said with a girly giggle. "How do you guys know each other? Are you guys' brothers or something?"

There was a pause before Red X and I broke out into laughter. That was funniest thing I had heard all day. The nickname had been given out of spite, not brotherly childish antics. It was weird, though. On different circumstances I think I would have kicked the thief where it counted and laughed at him. But because he had actually saved us in a real time of need, my view on the thief's character was bent. The resentment I had toward him was gone. So maybe that was why Arabell thought of us as related.

"That's a story not to ever be told," I said, trying to keep the lightness in my voice. I turned my head toward my window to hide my face. The events of my life in the past year were catching up with me suddenly. I just wished so badly to get over my great change and move on with what I had, but something was keeping me from being free. It was like I had all this baggage and didn't know where it came from or how to get rid of it.

Having both Kid Wicked and Red X show up had triggered all the memories I had of that time I had been captured by Slade and told who I really was…a mistake. But knowing I wasn't meant to be born didn't bother me as much as knowing my two best friends were in trouble. Zach was gone, captured by Daphne's people. Rose was still in a coma in a hospital in the States. And it was all my fault.

-A Few Hours Later-

The sound of someone sinking into the seat next to me made me open my sleepy eyes. We had pulled some strings to get us some seats on a red eye flight to Australia. From there we would double back to Indonesia. But it would take us a few long hours to get to Sydney. Our plane was barely full, so we had all gotten our own seats. Most of us had gone straight to sleep, but not me. I didn't want to face the Voice that night.

I turned my head away from my window to look at the person now sitting beside me. It was Arabell. She had wrapped herself in a blue blanket that had been given to her by a flight attendant. She managed a small smile as I yawned and turned my whole body around to talk to her.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"I don't sleep," I answered. "I'm one of those pure blooded insomniacs." That got a small laugh from the girl. "What do you need?" I asked her.

"Who was that woman today coming after you?" she asked after a small pause.

I frowned deeply while answering, "She's part of a section of the government that deals with super humans. She has orders to capture me because I'm supposedly 'unsafe' for the world." I didn't add the part where I actually could be a hazard. With this demon guy telling me I would be the one to release him, I was beginning to rethink about my rebellion against being locked up.

"The future is totally different than this," Arabell said with a grim chuckle. "Superheroes grow up in the government system. The second they find a super human, they take that person and put them in the system."

"The system?" I asked with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm part of the super human system," Arabell explained. "You go to a boarding school till you complete all the tests. Based on your personality and skill, they sign you to a team, group, solo job, or ban you from ever being a superhero of any kind. I'm striving to be in a team, but only the best can be assigned to one."

"Wow," I said after a second of thinking this over. "That's…organized."

Arabell rolled her eyes at this. "It also takes you away from your family," she said bitterly. "I was five when they found out my power. I had to leave everything. I couldn't even bring a picture of my parents and little sister. But, hey, I'm learning something other than crap they shove down regular kids' throats. But…" she trailed off in thought then asked, "Don't you have moments when you wished you were just a regular kid?"

"Duh," I said with a laugh. "I think every superhero thinks that at least once in their life time." Before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out softly, "I just wish I actually had a…a family to try and remember."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gene," she quickly tried to apologize.

"No, don't apologize!" I commanded harshly before she could say anything else. "I didn't mean to try to make you feel bad for me. I shouldn't have said that." Arabell gave me a concerned look as if she was talking to a crazy person. "How 'bout both our lives suck?" I asked with a laugh. "We both have equal crappy lives. That means we don't have to feel sorry for each other."

Arabell laughed when hearing this. "Okay," she said with a giggle. "But what are we going to do with all this crap?" I actually laughed when she said that. It was a question I would have asked. Maybe Arabell wasn't as annoying as I had made her out to be.

"We're just gonna have to deal with the smell," I answered with a grin.

"You know what?" she asked.

"Shoot," I answered. I leaned my seat back and put my arms under my head to look up at her.

"You have a calming effect, you know?" she said. The smile on her face betrayed the seriousness I felt coming off her. I lifted an eyebrow in silent question, a suspicious grin coming to my face. "No, don't laugh," she laughed at me. My grin only widened at this.

"Okay, how am I calming?" I asked her, "Because I've been acting extra rude to you for the past 24 hours to get you away from me. I wouldn't really call offensiveness a calming effect."

"I don't know," she said with the shake of her head. "Five minutes ago I was thinking about this morning and getting all emotional about it, so I came over here to talk to you. But the second I sat down I just…"

"…felt the awesome power of my calming effect?" I answered for her.

"Yeah," she said peacefully, smiling brightly. I found myself liking that smile.

"You are one strange person," I told her. "No wonder you traveled to the past. It is where all the crack pots thrive. You would blend right in."

Suddenly Kid Wicked joined us by sitting next to Arabell. He put out a piece of paper which read _I can't sleep. What are you guys talking about?_

"Apparently I have great soothing abilities," I said. Kid Wicked smiled slightly but didn't question my randomness.

"Shut up," Arabell said playfully while punching my shoulder. "I say one thing and you blow it out of proportion."

"Because I'm _so_ overdramatic," I said sarcastically. Arabell rolled her eyes while Kid Wicked gave a silent laugh. With yawns, the two leaned their seats back. We were worn out from our battle with Daphne's men and waiting half the day in the airport. We hadn't rested our heightened senses the whole time we sat in the airport in fear of seeing Daphne again.

"Can we go shopping once we get to Australia?" Arabell asked as we all stared up at the boring ceiling of the plane. Kid Wicked held up his notepad for all of us to see it. It simply read _No_.

"What he said…or wrote. You know what I mean," I said with a yawn.

"We have a six hour lay over," Arabell protested. "What else are we going to do?"

No answer.

"Boys," Arabell muttered in pretend disgust. I chuckled lightly, on the edges of dream world. I hadn't realized how tired I was till now. But I just couldn't allow myself to sleep. I didn't want to face the Voice that night. I'd been chased, shot at, and used as a punching bag. I couldn't bear to be tortured some more by some inter dimensional demon.

"Even though we went through a lot of bad luck and sure to experience more, I kind of like this," Arabell said in a sleep laden voice before yawning. "I just have this feeling that everything we're doing is…"

"…The right thing," I answered for her. The girl had fallen asleep in mid sentence. She was already snoring faintly. I noticed Kid Wicked was lights out too. For a few more minutes I just stared up at the ceiling, pondering Arabell's sentence. It did feel like what I was doing was the right thing for me to do, even though I constantly was unsure of myself.

Before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep. After a whole month of suffering, I finally got a peaceful night's rest. There was no fire, ash laden breezes, or dark voices. It was just a void of silent blackness. It was like heaven.

End of Journal Entry 9

A/N: Review people! I don't care if you think it sucked! Just review 'cause I love feedback of whatever kind. When people don't give it to me, I automatically think people don't care about my fan fic. When no one cares, it's hard for me to keep on typing to a dead audience. So please review. Thanks!


	28. Chapter 8 School for the Gifted

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I was dreadfully busy last weekend with rugby and crap, so that is why this chapter wasn't up then. And I also wanted to think through a few things to make sure I wanted this chapter to be this way. But I'm excited for the near future of this fic. This chapter brings in a new character and shows you a lot about where the Titans are now. Please R&R! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada. I don't own any of the Teen Titan characters.

Chapter 8 School for the Gifted

"Gerard, what's this?"

The teen looked up from his book with wide green eyes. He observed the piece of note card in the girl's hand for a second, his face blank as he read the name _Napoleon_ on it. Suddenly a broad grin planted itself there on his face as the teen leaned nonchalantly back in his seat.

"That right there is a nametag," Gerard said, the smile never leaving his face.

"Gerard," the girl chastised.

"Megan," Gerard mimicked in the same tone.

"These animals are not pets," Megan said. "You have to stop getting attached to them." Gerard just smiled calmly up at her. Megan sighed in frustration and said harshly to her partner, "One day that meerkat you have named will be tested on and will end up looking like…like this." She ripped up the piece of note card paper and sprinkled the destroyed pieces onto the boy's lap. She then stood back and waited for a response.

Something in Gerard gave the teen a twinge of pain as he watched the pieces float down to his lap lifelessly. A quick flash of hurt clouded the boy's eyes, but it was just as quickly gone, and his smile was back. It always returned. That smile could hide anything he felt. It was his greatest illusion, his mask.

"C'mon, Meg," Gerard said with a laugh. "You think I was serious? It was a joke. You really thought I was to be so bold as to name it?"

A relieved smile fluttered across Megan's cute features. She was tall for her age of 14. But you couldn't let the age fool you. The girl was born a genius, and that was why she had been kidnapped when she was four and brainwashed into living the life of any Stellar Inc. child would. She had her blond hair always put up in a tight ponytail and had a pair of glasses placed on her lightly freckled nose. She would consider Gerard one of her best friends, but sadly, Gerard wouldn't say that about her.

"Good," she said, "You've had me worried lately. You spend too much time with the lab animals, Gerard. Its rule number five in Stellar's handbook."

"Yeah, yeah," Gerard said before the girl could recite the dreaded handbook, "Something about not becoming attached to anyone here. It's a wonder how they keep anyone loyal that way."

"Gerard!" Megan gasped his name in horror, "I don't want you to say that ever again! What if someone other than me hears something like that?"

"Joking," Gerard said with a grin.

"_Gerard Maxwell to the Main Office, please,"_ the monotone voice of a woman echoed into the room. Gerard stared up at the speaker which the voice had come through near the door. He frowned slightly. He didn't want to go to the office.

Without another word, Gerard got out of his seat while humming the chorus to the Disney song _A Pirates Life for Me_. Megan watched him leave without knowing the worry the boy was going through. Gerard shoved his hands into his black trench coat's pockets as he briskly walked down the boring hallways. He didn't want another mission. His last one had gone quite bad.

When the teen finally got to the office, he knew something odd was going on. He was relieved he wasn't going to get another mission, but he was terribly worked up about what he was called there for. He knew something was different because all three of his brothers were waiting at the door.

"Late as usual," Alex said, his face lighting up with an evil grin. The brother next to Alex, Ted, greeted Gerard with the exact same smile as the last. The four brothers were quadruplets. All of them had the light brown hair, deep green eyes, and that persistent elfish grin.

It was hard to tell Alex and Ted apart from each other because they were so similar in the way they handled themselves and their expressions. And the two boys were always together. Anyone rarely saw them apart. Gerard took in their presence with the roll of his eyes. They were annoying, but that was the sole purpose of a sibling sometimes.

"Why are we all here?" he asked his other brother, Derek. Derek was born first from the four. He dressed and looked exactly like Ted and Alex, with the white jumpsuit with the green stripe going down the arms and legs. But Derek was different. He was quick thinking and hard headed. In battle, you wouldn't want to get him angry.

Gerard noticed something was different in his older brother lately. There was that perpetual sense that he was keeping something from him. The two brothers usually enjoyed each others company, but for a few months they had been avoiding each other completely. They were beginning to take interest in different things. Now their greetings were either sharp nods or narrowing of eyes. The drift between them was deepening every day.

"I guess we'll just have to go in and ask," Derek said coolly. He took in Gerard's apparel with a look of disgust playing across his face. Gerard had on a blue T-shirt with his black trench coat over top. Worn down and torn up jeans covered his legs, and blue Converse adorned his feet. The outfit was something none of the other brothers would dream of wearing. "Do you always have to dress like that?" he asked.

"Its call being a nonconformist," Gerard said with an overdramatic bow. "Thank you for the wonderful compliment, Derek. You're very good at those."

"You're pathetic," Derek spat back before marching into the Main Office. Alex and Ted followed after their brother without as much as a glance to Gerard. The teen stood there in the hallway alone till finally entering the room behind them.

The Main Office was like any other office you would see. People were busy with answering phones or typing things into their computers. The main desk sat right at the doorway. A name plate was crookedly glued to the dented oak desk.

"And you are?" the woman behind the desk asked in her monotone voice as she saw all four brothers enter the bright room. The woman was obese with a uni brow. Gerard had joked numerous times before that she didn't have a neck, and so far no one had proven the boy wrong. She sat there on her small wheelie chair that could barely hold her large frame. Her fingers that curled around the pen in her hand looked like little sausages. She was a piece of work all right.

"Miss, I mean Mrs. Ludlum, you know who we all are," Gerard said with fake cheer, naturally taking in the role as leader. "Are you sure it's Mrs.?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face. Alex and Ted were on the brink of laughter. Derek glared at his brother in aggravation.

Gerard always got a good joke in with Mrs. Ludlum. It was like a tradition to the foursome. Every time they met up with the lady, Gerard worked his magic to get her to express something. Usually it only ended with the other three brothers cracking up, but Gerard still tried.

But once again Gerard was only met with an impassive snort from the woman behind the desk. She blankly looked up at Gerard and his brothers. "And you are?" she repeated.

"The Maxwell brothers," Derek stepped in, pushing Gerard to the side. "You called us here five minutes ago."

"Do not become hostile, Mr. Maxwell," Mrs. Ludlum said with another snort. Gerard watched his older brother take charge with a spark of anger firing in him. He always dealt with the pig called Mrs. Ludlum. Since when did Derek order him around? None of the brothers had ever bossed another around. Sometimes they took on leadership, but they didn't naturally fight for that role.

"I'm not being 'hostile'," Derek growled at the lady. "Now why did you call us down here?"

"I advise you eat breakfast more often, Mr. Maxwell," Mrs. Ludlum suggested with no emotion. "A balanced diet will calm you. I eat very often, and look how composed I am."

"You look lovely, Mrs. Ludlum," Gerard butted back in, pinning Derek with a fierce look to back off. "Now, do you have a message for us or something? We are all very busy it seems."

There was a second where the woman just stared up at the boys. She snorted two more times then swirled around to her left. The chair screeched as the massive weight it was holding up shifted. All four boys winced. She turned back around and handed each boy a file with a name on it.

"You four get an assignment," she said. It took everything in Gerard to keep the smile on his face as he was handed his folder. His stomach tightened into a massive knot when he read the name of the person he was assigned to watch over. He couldn't do another assignment. Not again.

-Robin-

"_And really bad eggs_," someone sung from across the room before returning to his humming. Robin opened his eyes with a moan. He sat up quickly to find himself tangled in a wad of sheets on a soft bed. Confusion swept through the teen, picking at the panic starting to rise in him. He pushed the unwanted feeling away and took in his surroundings.

He was in a room, his room, which wasn't really his room. It was small, but big enough to hold a bed, a desk with a laptop, a closet, a chair, and a bathroom. The carpet was a bright red, and the white walls held a few pictures of rock bands he liked.

A teen around Robin's age was sitting on the chair by the desk. His feet were propped up on the desk as he precariously leaned back onto two legs of the chair. A mess of brown hair slightly hid his green eyes. The boy stared at Robin from his relaxed position with a knowing grin on his lips.

"The trashcan is right beside you," the teen said, predicting Robin's stomach.

Robin stared back at the teen, trying to get his mind over what had happened to him. Everything was different but familiar all at the same time. His brain was going through a massive clog, which gave the teen a sense of nausea. Before he could control it, Robin grabbed the pointed out trashcan and threw up into it.

"You'll be a bit queasy for the rest of the day, but by tomorrow you'll be right as rain," the teen on the chair said with a chuckle. "Everyone barfs after a purifying session. Some more than others, though. You okay?"

Robin put down the trashcan and rubbed his forehead. Everything was coming back to him now. He remembered half his memory being taken away and the one he was given. The teen had to steady his reeling emotions with a long sigh. He could do this. He could fake his way through this place.

"I'm good," Robin told the other teen. Quickly, he checked his new memories for one of the teen. When finding none, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," he said with a grin. He got up from his chair and gave a bow to Robin, the grin never leaving as he introduced himself as, "I am the always amazing Gerard Maxwell. I have been assigned to look after you for your first month here at Stellar Inc. Academy."

Without missing a beat, Gerard stood up straight and grabbed something folded up on the desk. He threw the white jumpsuit at Robin, who caught it with one hand. "That would be your uniform," Gerard explained to Robin. "Once you have it on, I'll show you where the cafeteria is and we can eat breakfast." Robin made a face when the boy mentioned food. Gerard smiled sheepishly while adding, "Or you can just have some juice."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Robin said with a weak smile. Gerard nodded and exited the room without another word. Robin scrambled out of his bed, hastily made it, and then pulled on the white jumpsuit. He rushed into the bathroom and turned on the cold water in the sink. The stressed teen let out a long sigh as he put his head under the ice cold water.

"Steady yourself, Robin," Robin told himself. He let the bitter cold water trickle down his neck and chin, soothing his senses. As soon as Robin felt like he was ready enough to face the academy with a sturdy face, the teen turned off the sink and dried his hair with a hanging towel nearby.

Robin looked himself in the mirror. It was time to put his game face on. He folded his arms in front of his chest and morphed his features into a dark frown. His new memories told him that he had grown up on the streets and was forced into knowing how to take someone down. He had then enrolled himself into the military for a year and was taught how to use different weapons. Recently he had applied for the Stellar Inc. Academy for gifted young ones. It was time to embrace his second life.

Soon, Robin was walking along side of Gerard on their way to breakfast. With quick glances, Robin observed the other teen. He looked so much like the boy who had almost killed Gene six months ago. The only difference Robin could distinguish between the two boys was the feeling he had around them. The other boy always had a knowing, wicked smile on his face.

Gerard's smile was different. From years of training with the Batman, Robin could read someone's emotions as great as Raven could just by studying them. Gerard's smile wasn't exactly forced and pretend, but it was a mask. Robin wondered what the teen would want to hide.

They made it to the cafeteria a little late. Gerard went on about the different courses Robin was to take as they grabbed their trays and got into line. The place was alive with different teens ranging from ages 12 to 18, all seated on multicolored stools at long tables and wearing the same jumpsuit that Robin wore. Only Gerard wore something different.

At first glance it looked like any other cafeteria you would see at a public school with normal teens eating breakfast, but Robin soon started to see why the academy was for gifted teens. At random times someone's powers would go awry. Trays exploding, chairs flying across the room, and food combusting were all part of breakfast for these teens. It was interesting to watch.

The two boys quickly got their food, which Robin noted didn't look anything like the mystery meat he had to eat back in elementary school. Gerard led Robin to the table he usually sat at. They plopped their trays down and sat. Robin's heart started to accelerate when he saw who Gerard's friends were.

Sitting right across from Robin was Gizmo. Next to Gizmo, and talking excitingly about some new gadget they had recently made, was Zach. Across from Zach and on Robin's right was Megan. On the other side of Gizmo was a bored looking Argent. The girl's eyes lit up when she saw Robin sit down.

"Who's the new kid, Gerard?" she asked in her usual snooty English accent.

"This is Robin," Gerard introduced Robin to the whole table. "I've been assigned to him for the next month. So be nice."

"I'm always nice," Argent said with her nose in the air. Robin watched in growing interest while the table laughed at her actions. Gizmo flicked a grape at the girl with an annoying laugh. Argent deftly countered the attack with a red energy shield shaped as a hand. She gave the kid a sly smile as she returned to her breakfast.

"Robin, let me introduce Argent, Gizmo, Zach, and Megan," Gerard said while pointing to each teen. "But you don't really need to know Zach. The kid is insane," Gerard whispered jokingly.

Zach heard this and looked up at Gerard, a wicked smile coming to his features. "Insane, am I?" he asked while snapping his fingers. Robin watched in shock as Gerard's cereal glowed pink for a second before exploding. The table erupted into laughter when seeing Gerard smothered in milk and Rice Chex.

"Good form," Gerard said with a chuckle. He shook his head and milk splattered onto the floor. The table tried to suppress their giggles. He picked out a piece of cereal from his hair and popped it into his mouth. "It still tastes good," he said with a grin. The teen was a smooth one. Robin found himself actually smiling. There was a charm to Gerard.

As the laughing died down at the table, Robin's mind started to wander. Sitting at this very table was a mix of villains and superheroes. At any other circumstance, all these teens might have been down each other's throats because they were such polar opposites when it came down to personality. But because of their brainwashing, all these teens were best of friends.

Was that machine that had tried to take his memory away really that powerful? The question didn't sit well with Robin's stomach. He sat, observing, as the table went on with their quick, sarcastic remarks and jokes. If this academy had already brainwashed these villains and superheroes, did that mean that there were others Robin knew that had already gone through the procedure? Were they eating like good little brainwashed teens too? How many had dared to go against the machine and came out like Robin?

Was the Boy Wonder the only one who knew what was going on? Suddenly Robin felt very alone. He could have been surrounded by old friends, but he felt like the only one who knew the truth. The feeling was close to overwhelming the teen. How was he going to help all these people? He didn't even know where to start.

"Hey, Gerard, take a look at who I was assigned to yesterday," a boastful voice boomed down upon the table. The whole table looked up to see the person bragging. Robin almost choked on his orange juice when seeing the kid who had almost killed Gene with his air bending abilities six months ago. Heart slamming against his chest, Robin averted his eyes to the table when seeing Starfire standing beside him.

The teen quickly blanked his mind of emotions and calmly looked back up to the pair standing with their trays by the table. He couldn't lose control! One wrong move could kill him. He had to pretend like he didn't know either of the two before him.

"How come you didn't get the nice looking chick, Gerard?" Gizmo joked with his annoying laugh. Robin saw Starfire roll her eyes and smile like he had seen Blackfire do. At the moment she looked a lot like her older sister. Just the way she placed her hand on her hip and gave off that carefree vibe reminded Robin of Blackfire.

"So who were you assigned to, Gerard?" the boy asked his look-a-like brother. Robin noticed the smile vanish from Gerard's face for a second. It was only for a brief moment, but Robin had caught it. These two weren't as chummy has he had thought they were.

"Derek, meet Robin," Gerard introduced the two already acquainted enemies.

"Have we met before, Robin?" Derek asked slyly, that evil grin widening. "Because I think I've seen you before." Did Derek know Robin was faking? Robin didn't care if the other teen did or not. He would make sure Derek wouldn't ever have any proof.

Robin let loose with his own cruelly wry smile. "You tell me," he said with an underlining cold tone in his voice. Derek seemed satisfied with this answer. For a second the kid narrowed his eyes on Robin. The Boy Wonder ignored the threatening look and drank some more of his juice.

"Are you two twins?" Starfire asked Derek sweetly. Robin had to keep himself from giving her a sad smile by reminding himself that the alien girl was not herself. It hurt him to listen to her usual innocent voice like this and have to pretend he didn't know her at all.

"Gerard is just one of my three other brothers," Derek explained to Starfire. "But the dork can't really be considered part of the quad anymore. The guy is just too weird." He shot Gerard a smirk after longingly looking at Starfire for a little too long to Robin's liking. The superhero clenched his teeth and said nothing.

"Gentleman like, as always," Gerard said sarcastically to his brother. "Anything else you would like to say?"

"I bet Gerard's assignment could kick your assignment's ass!" Gizmo piped up suddenly. He and Zach laughed and high-fived each other when seeing Derek's angered expression.

"They have names, you know," Gerard said seriously.

"Actually, I'd like to see how that battle would turn out," Megan spoke for the first time. "I'd like to see both their powers in action."

"I don't have a power," Robin quickly pointed out. He didn't want to battle against Starfire. She was his friend and fellow Titan. He had fought her before, but that was for practice and they both held a lot back when doing so. He had a feeling this place didn't want their students to suppress anything.

Derek actually cracked up when hearing this. "You got to be kidding me!" he said through laughter. "If you haven't noticed by now, this place is for teens with powers. What is this academy coming to? And Gerard has to hang out with this soon to be drop out for a whole month! This is truly hysterical!"

"You wouldn't last two seconds in the Battle Arena, lov," Argent told Robin with a weak smile. He frowned at her as she added, "Just the facts."

"I didn't say I didn't want to fight her," Robin said before thinking. He couldn't believe these guys were making fun at him for not having a power. He hadn't ever been discriminated for not having any. It was a weird new feeling for the teen. His thoughts of going against Starfire were put on hold as the urge to prove them all wrong rose.

"You still want to fight her?" Gizmo asked. "You'd get creamed!"

"No, I won't," Robin persisted. Maybe it would be good for him to fight Starfire. It would tell any skeptical onlooker, like Derek, that he was brainwashed like all the others. The more his mind thought about it, the more it looked like it could improve his cover.

"You can't exactly fight Starfire until Gerard allows it," Derek said. "You're a newbie. It's the assigner's job to tell you where to go and observe what you do. Until this month is up, the assigner controls who you fight in the Battle Arena. So, Gerard, are you going to let this little norm kid fight Starfire?"

The group all looked to Gerard for his answer. The teen wasn't faking his emotions anymore. His smile was gone and replaced with a worrisome frown.

"You okay, Gerard?" Megan asked with concern.

The teen forced a weak smile and nodded. "I'm good," he said. Robin watched in awe as Gerard was able to rapidly put that smile back on. The teen was well skilled at his pretend game. "Hey, if Robin really wants to, I say go ahead and fight the girl," Gerard said with his smoothness returning.

"I hope you are skilled at fighting as you are bold, Robin," Starfire said unperturbedly down to Robin before walking off with her nose in the air. Robin watched her leave for a second before returning his attention back to Derek.

"Get there at three o'clock sharp, Bird Boy," Derek said to Robin. He gave the glaring teen a confident wink and walked away with his tray. That wicked smile still played at the corners of his lips.

"Dead norm walking," Zach muttered to Robin before picking up his tray and leaving along with the others, except for Gerard.

Robin finished off his glass of orange juice with a scowl planted on his face. "Jeez," he growled in frustration, "It's like they haven't ever seen a normal human fight before." He looked over to Gerard for a response. The teen was staring into his cereal bowl with a faraway look in his eyes. "Hey, you okay?" Robin asked him. "What's with the spaced out expression?"

Gerard snapped back into attention again. "Sorry," he said with a grin. "I'm just a bit tired. Let's get out of here," he said while standing up with his tray. "I need to give you a general tour of the place before classes begin."

A/N: I've never had to write a fight scene with any of the Titans against each other before. I'm excited for that one! So…what do you guys think of the Academy and Gerard? I'd like to know what you readers like or dislike with Gerard. I think I portrayed enough of his character to get you readers interested in him, but I can never be too sure. Well, please review. The next chapter will definitely be out by next weekend.


	29. Chapter 9 The Break Up

A/N: Guys, I am SO sorry for not updating for a whole month without any warning. My dumb computer suddenly had some problems with its keyboard. I couldn't get it fixed till one of my computer savvy friends changed the keyboard last night. So I'm giving you two chapters in one weekend because I have them all typed up and ready to go. Enjoy and forgive the delay!

Disclaimer: Own, I do not.

Chapter 9 The Break Up

Journal Entry 10

_How long does this usually take with her?_

I read Kid Wicked's note with a grin. With a sigh I leaned my head back against the wall next to the girl's dressing room. Of course we had been forced into shopping with Arabell. The girl was stubborn as a bull.

"Girls usually take hours to shop," I told the mute. Before I registered what I was saying, I added, "Rose always took forever when she dragged me off to the mall."

Kid Wicked raised an eyebrow in interest. It was the first emotion I'd seen from him besides annoyance since we landed in Sydney. As soon as we had stepped out of the airport, of course Red X had other important things to do rather than baby sit us. There was no surprise there. Even though he would have been a valuable tool in our planning to rescue the Titans, I knew the thief wasn't likely to help us, or wasn't expected to at least.

It took me a second to get over what I had just said and answer Kid Wicked's silent question. The guilt I felt for putting Rose in a coma was sometimes too much for me to stand. I hated to bring her up because it would just dig up all unwanted and untamed emotions that were hard to control.

I regretted ever meeting her sometimes. I miss her so much. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be in that coma. She would be a normal freshmen girl in high school right now. She would be happy with another boy and surrounded by friends. She wouldn't be lying lifelessly on a bed somewhere in a hospital in the States under Slade's constant monitoring. I had put her there. That fact was like a 100 pound weight pressing against my shoulders each day.

"Rose is my girlfriend," I explained softly to Kid Wicked. "We grew up together before I even knew I was a clone." Kid Wicked noted the pained tone in my voice and nodded in understanding. That's another thing that was so cool about the guy. It was like he understood everything you said.

_Ask her how long she is going to be,_ Kid Wicked wrote down on his pad for me to read.

"Hey, Arabell!" I called out to the girl.

"Yeah?" Arabell's voice responded from one of the many stalls.

"We're dying from old age out here," I said. "How much longer will this thing take? Do I even want to know why it takes you so long to change?"

"I'm done," Arabell said. Kid Wicked and I let out relieved sighs and looked toward the door to the dressing room. The girl shyly stepped out of the room to show off her new outfit she had bought. My eyes went wide when seeing her.

She wore a collared green sleeveless shirt that showed off her slim midriff. A cute orange mini skirt with bluish greenish tights covered her legs. Some cool looking orange boots adorned her feet. All in all, the outfit was original, stylish, and great on her! I was surprised with myself when thinking about how hott she was.

"You look really good," I told her honestly with a smile. I had to quickly turn away to hide my flushed cheeks when realizing what I had just said. Smooth, Gene! I really needed to work on my thinking before speaking technique.

With a giggle, Arabell put a hand on my shoulder and said with a teasing smile, "Thanks." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kid Wicked sigh and head for the door of the store. Quickly, I bolted to join him in the retreat. I felt a small spark of frustration from Arabell before she followed after us.

The day was amazingly bright and warm that afternoon in Sydney. Silently, I lead both my team mates down the sidewalk with my hands in my pockets. I fell into my own thoughts and absently started to lag behind my team.

I couldn't believe I had felt that way towards Arabell. I hadn't had attractiveness to anyone besides Rose since 7th grade. The feeling was as bizarre now than it was then. But I didn't want or could afford a crush on the girl. Rose was still my girlfriend. I could see her and me together till the very end. And I couldn't get romantic with anyone at the moment because I could send them straight to the hospital. It was killing my conscious just having to be the leader of two teens.

I knew I had to get over what had happened six long months ago with the wind controlling kid. I knew what happened to Zach and Rose wasn't my fault. That psychotic kid had put them in the hospital, but for some reason I just blamed myself. The whole thing was just tormenting my mind. Why couldn't I just shove my guilt aside and get on with my life?

"You look awfully down today, sir," someone suddenly said from in front of me. I lifted my head in surprise right before I walked into the girl. I put on my brakes and watched in wonder as the girl took off her black top hat and pulled out a perfect red rose. "I hope this brightens your day, sir," the girl said as she offered the rose to me.

The girl was at least a foot or two taller than me. She had dark brown, almost black, hair that parted half way down and tied with white strips of cloth. She wore a black and red neck tie, white sleeveless shirt, jeans cut off at her knees, and worn down bright red Converse. Her mysterious green eyes took me in with a hint of slyness as she flashed me a bright smile.

"I've always wondered how magicians do that," Arabell said as she and Kid Wicked came to my side when noticing I wasn't with them. Hesitantly, I reached for the rose. My fingers barely touched the stem when it suddenly shriveled up and turned an ugly shade of brown. I retracted my hand with a slight gasp.

There was a second where I felt the girl magician's sense of confidence switch to pity when our eyes met. "Terribly sorry, sir," she said while throwing the flower into the air. I heard Arabell gasp in delight when seeing the withered rose burst into a pure white dove. The magician was good!

All three of us looked back to the magician with smiles on our faces. The girl wasn't done with her show just yet. She took out a deck of cards from her pocket. She bent the deck with one hand till the cards spurted out over her head. I watched, mystified, as the cards turned into drops of rain. The water lightly cooled the three of us as it sprinkled onto our shoulders.

The girl gave a bow as we applauded her for her skill. A single card floated down between us. She snatched it out of the air and handed it to me with a sly grin. I gave her a weary look and took the card. Arabell and Kid Wicked looked over my shoulder as I read it out loud.

"_What do you think, shrimp_?" I read in confusion. I shot my head back up with my eyes going wide in shock. Standing beside the magician was Red X.

"You should see your face right now," Red X said with a chuckle. "It's a true Kodak moment."

"How did she do that?" Arabell asked before I could get my head together.

"Simple," the magician said, "Magic."

"Wait," I said before Arabell could ask another question. "Who's this, Red X?" I asked while pointing to the girl magician. Apparently the two knew each other somehow.

"The name is Petra Alexander," the magician introduced herself with another dramatic bow, "But you may call me by my stage name, Sleight. I'm glad to be of a service to ya', mate." I shot Red X a quick warning glare. He had better get explaining.

"No worries, shrimp," Red X said, catching my drift. "Petra was a high school foreign exchange student that I met years ago," he explained. "I was the only one who knew she used real magic back then. When we flew over here, I decided to go give her a visit when Arabell dragged you off to go shopping. It ended up she knows about this place the Titans and others have been taken to. She has decided to help us save the do-gooders."

"How much do you know of this place?" I asked Petra. It didn't hurt to be extra careful and skeptical. I wasn't always treated with answers or easy ways to do things. I hated to be so disbelieving, but it was a habit by now. My life was too hectic for me to trust everything that offered help.

"I know it's really an Academy for super powered teens," Petra answered matter-of-factly. She glanced around before saying quietly, "I'm afraid I can't tell any more of what I know here. They have cameras and spies all over Australia and the islands around their base. I've been tracked and spied on many times. We need to get to my place if you want to know more."

"How much time do we have till we need to be at the airport?" I asked Arabell.

Without having to look at a clock or anything, she answered quickly, "We have exactly one hour, 14 minutes, and 26 seconds." We all stared at her in surprise till she said with a blush, "Since I can control time, I always know what time it is. Sorry if it scared you guys."

"I wish I had an internal clock," Red X said. I felt his grin under his mask.

"Okay," I said, trying to get everyone back on track, "Let's quickly get to your place, Petra. We need to know everything about this Academy if we want to rescue the Titans. But we don't have much time. Let's hurry there."

"Sure thing, mate," she said with a steady nod, "Just follow me." Soon, the whole team was jogging behind the magician, on our way to her home.

"_This poor kid has no clue what he is getting into. He'll be lucky if he even gets into Stellar Academy_," I thought I heard Petra say.

"Hey! At least I'm trying!" I protested to the girl, jogging up beside her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, clearly confused. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed completely. I could feel my cheeks flush as her green eyes critically narrowed down on me. "I…I just thought I…are you sure you didn't say anything just now?"

"_Great. Our leader is being strange again_," I thought I heard someone say behind me. I glanced back and saw that only Kid Wicked was listening to Petra's and mine conversation. I looked back ahead with confusion spreading over my face. Kid Wicked couldn't have said that because he was mute. Then how come I had heard him so clearly?

It was just what I needed, a power surge. Slade told me I'd have one of those. To quickly get my powers up to date with Raven's, he told me I'd have random times where I wouldn't be able to control my abilities or be forced to deal with new ones I didn't know I had. It seems like telepathy was starting to kick in. Now I had to deal with blips of my friend's thoughts, and so far they weren't all that encouraging.

What else could go wrong?

Of course, everything that could go wrong did. We rounded a corner and were met face to face with Daphne Hawthorne, her gun squad, and two other faces I hadn't expected to see anytime soon. With that wicked grin planted on his face, the air bending kid raised his hand to strike at my team and me. Right beside him and standing proudly was Cyborg from the Teen Titans.

I was too stunned to react to what I thought would be a blast of air. Instead, the concrete in front of me sprung up from the earth and wrapped around my waist. The move was so quick, I had no time to fight back as the piece of earth enclosed around my waist flung me into a nearby brick building back first, pinning me there. The move knocked the air right out of me. As I gasped for a breath, two more pieces of concrete morphed themselves out of the ground and forced my wrists above my head.

My team watched my two second take down with wide eyes of shock and fear. Arabell actually let out a short scream as she saw me slam into the building. I barely felt their emotions, though. My mind was knocked into high gear as my adrenaline shot right through the roof.

I was ready to get out my rock bindings and kick some butt, when suddenly Daphne's pistol barrel was pressed against my forehead. My gut did a twist as I felt her choking emotion of anger engulf my senses. She could have easily pulled that trigger and killed me there. The end. No more running after Gene Summers. I was at her mercy. The feeling scared me half to death. Good thing I didn't freeze up.

"Get out of here!" I yelled at my team hurriedly. "Run away and split up! Don't let them catch you!" The stupid teens didn't move at first. "Go!" I screamed urgently at them. This seemed to spur them on. I grinned in relief when seeing the four suddenly take off in sprints without even second thoughts. Hopefully they wouldn't get caught.

"You are just one big pain in the ass!" Daphne hissed at me, pressing the gun harder against my skull. She turned to the air bending look-a-like teen and asked, "Do you have him?"

The teen had both his hands out stretched toward me. "Yeah," he answered the woman, that elfish grin never leaving his face. He slightly squeezed one of his hands, chuckling evilly when seeing me squirm as the earth pinning my waist against the building tightened. "Go ahead, Hawthorne," the boy told Daphne. "Cyborg and I got the pest."

"Don't do anything stupid, Ted," Daphne told him sternly before ordering her men to follow her in her chase after my team. Soon, the place was quiet except for the light splash of waves on the wooden deck on the other side of the road and the seagulls soaring overhead.

"So what do you think we should do with him?" the kid, Ted, asked Cyborg as if they were new best friends.

"What the heck are you doing, Cyborg?" I yelled angrily at the metal teen. "Don't you remember this psycho path from six months ago? Why are you helping him?"

"What is he talking about?" Cyborg asked Ted with genuine confusion. At first I didn't want to believe the vibe I was getting off him, but it was true. Cyborg didn't know who I was anymore! Something had happened to him. Were the other Titans just as brainwashed as him as well? I had no idea, but now I knew why Raven had told me to hurry. This was just insane!

"You must be talking about my brother, Derek," Ted said smoothly.

"Brother?" I asked, trying to get my head back together.

I gave a wince as the rock around my waist suddenly tightened some more. My mind was still trying to get around the fact that I was captured, my team could soon be following after me, and Cyborg was doing nothing to help me. There was a second where I almost just totally freaked out. I had to tell myself to calm down and keep a level head. Being a spaz wouldn't get me anywhere. I needed a plan.

"I have three brothers, actually," Ted said casually, as if he was talking to a buddy of his, "One kid for each element. You've already met up with Derek."

I didn't buy into his fake assurance. He was having a great deal of trouble keeping the rock around my waist and hands against the building. Sweat was working its way down his forehead from his extensive use of power. He wasn't like his wind bending brother who had absolute control over his abilities.

"Didn't Derek give you a message before we left?" Cyborg asked Ted with a wicked grin.

"Oh yeah," Ted said, giving me an identical evil smile as his brother from six months ago, "He told me," he paused for a gulp of air, "To finish the job."

I was a step ahead of him. Just as he squeezed his hands, I latched my powers onto the rock around my waist and held on tight. Ted looked at me with anger flashing through his green eyes. I grunted as I forced the earth to break up and crumble. Ted tried to put the rock back into place, but by now he had used too much power. He was too weak to fight back and keep me there.

With a loud shout of distress, Ted let go of the hold he had on the rock. The smashed pieces of dirt fell back to the earth below me as I pushed off the wall with one foot extended. My heel was an inch away from colliding into Ted's forehead when suddenly I was roughly blasted with Cyborg's sonic cannon from the side.

The force of the cannon hitting my shoulder sent me soaring into the air. I let out a short yelp of surprise before hitting the cement ground. I painfully rolled down the road a few times before finally coming to a stop on my side. With a groan, I got to my feet. That hadn't gone exactly how I planned it too.

The rock below me suddenly shot into the air from Ted's power. I was forced to my knees before the rock platform beneath me stopped two stories above ground. The laws of physics did its wonderful job keeping me in motion. I found myself airborne again.

The air around my body rushed past me as gravity pulled me back down toward earth. I quickly got my wits back together and said my mantra right before impacting the ground. The second I felt my body stop its deathly descend, I shot toward Cyborg at tremendous speed. The guy had no time to react. I grabbed his shoulders and levitated high into the air.

"This isn't you're fight," I told Cyborg. "Sorry, Cy!" With that said, I flung the teen into the air. He gave a panicked yell. I did a roundhouse kick in mid air that sent the poor Titan soaring toward the ocean. I flinched as I watched him hit the surface of the water with a giant splash. Hopefully he wouldn't remember any of this later on.

I looked below to see where Ted was waiting for me. He wasn't there. I swore under my breath while twisting around to confront the presence that had snuck up on me. Ted had a scowl planted on his face now. I guess he wasn't too happy to have his assistant thrown into the ocean. He stood on a slab of dirt that was floating steadily a few yards away from me. Did I forget to mention we were around three stories high in the air?

Ted didn't waste time in attacking. He wasn't like Derek, I quickly found out. Derek had been out to submit to his blood lust. Ted was just out to do his duty. He didn't want to stick around to watch me die a slow and painful death. He just wanted it done.

With a battle yell, Ted lifted both her arms. I watched in alarm as chunks of earth below us cracked away from the deserted road and lifted upward till they were floating next to Ted. I had thought that staying in the air would prevent him from getting too close. Now I saw my mistake.

I crossed my arms in front of me just as the hunks of earth flew at me. The first hit was harder than what I had predicted. It sent me spiraling backwards out of control. It took me a second or two of concentration to steady myself and face my opponent. My eyes widened in fright when I saw one last piece of concrete was heading straight for me.

Thinking fast, I locked my power onto the giant hunk of earth and pushed it back at Ted with a grunt. His eyes narrowed in frustration and pushed back with more power. It took everything in me to keep my hold on the rock and stand my ground…or place in the air. Just levitating was hard for me to do at this point.

The rock locked in both our powers started to break up as we pushed against it. It must had been five minutes of pushing before the rock suddenly crumbled enough so we couldn't hold it up. Our powers must have collided against each other for a brief second when this happened, because suddenly both of us were flying away from each other in out of control manners.

I landed in the salty waters of the ocean face first. Water flooded my nose and mouth as I was quickly submerged. I desperately struggled to the surface for air. With a giant gasp, I broke the surface and started to choke uncontrollably. Salt water stung my eyes and nose, making me wince.

BAM!

I didn't even see my attacker coming. Cyborg had jumped off a nearby dock and slammed right into me, knocking me back into the water without any warning at all. Panic flashed through me as Cyborg's giant hands wrapped themselves around my shoulders as he pushed me toward the ocean floor. My lungs burned for air as we plummeted downward.

I brought both my legs up to my chest then pushed off the robotic teen. I didn't stick around to see if he was okay. I shot toward the surface in desperation. The edges of my vision were blackening just before I reached the surface. Quickly, I swam to the wooden dock and grabbed the edge of a slimy plank with both hands to pull myself up.

I didn't get the chance to set foot on that deck. I was just pulling myself up when both my feet were engulfed in something hard and with weight. I looked down to see that I was being pulled down my Ted's earth bending powers. I turned my gaze to the beach and saw Ted standing there with a dark expression on his face. He was going to drown me!

"Crap!" I hissed while latching onto another part of the plank to secure my place there. The pull on my legs started to make my arms burn from holding onto the plank. I gritted my teeth and held on for my life, once again trying to beat Ted with perseverance. But this wasn't going to be a battle I would win.

"Ready to join the fish?" Cyborg asked from above me.

With a gasp, I looked up to see the Titan looming ominously over me. Icy fear shot down my spine, instantly making me shiver. Cyborg lifted a metal foot and slammed it down onto my fingers gripping the end of the plank.

"No! Cyborg, stop!" I shouted at him. "Don't do this!" My fingers stung and throbbed from the pressure under his foot. He didn't listen as he started to slowly push them to the edge. My brain desperately tried to come up with something to help me. But I had nothing to levitate, nothing to fight with. I was defenseless and quickly losing this battle.

With one last stomp, Cyborg shoved my fingers off the edge of the plank. I tried to grab his leg or something before dropping, but it was useless. The earth around my legs pulled me under the water, sinking me deeper and deeper into its depths.

Like a pathetic caged animal, I struggled to get free. Nothing worked, though. My lungs longed for air as I wiggled, clawed, and fought for my freedom from the rock. I even at one time tried using my powers to loosen up the rock, but I was too tired to hold them there.

As I descended, my wrist started to burn and sting. For a second, I peered through the fuzzy salt water to see what was going on. A stream of diluted blood drifted from a symbol being burned into my wrist. It was the same red symbol that was on my other wrist!

This pushed me over the edge. I screamed madly into oblivion, letting out all my anger and frustration in one silent yell that was lost in the water. This surge of released emotion exploded the rock pulling me deeper into the ocean. I quickly found myself free.

I pushed for the surface even though I knew I wouldn't be able to make it in time. I still fought against the odds because that one-in-a-million-chance of living this was the only thing on my mind.

My lungs begged me for air as my vision started to darken. Every surge upward was like climbing a vertical cliff with weights as hands. Soon I just couldn't go on. My body started to shut down, preparing me for death.

Through the darkness pressing in upon my vision and mind, a hand tightly gripped my out stretched hand. I looked up and didn't register the face at the time. All I knew was that I was being rescued by someone. I let this person pull me upwards and to the surface. I knew this person would keep me alive.

Before I could peacefully slip into darkness, though, I finally realized who this person was. It was Slade. And with that last thought, I blacked out.

A/N: Next chapter, Robin and Starfire go at it. It's very exciting! Please review! Thanks!


	30. Chapter 10 Rising Anger

A/N: Okay, I'm taking you back to the Academy where the Titans are. Prepare for a great fight scene between Star and Rob! I'm such a dork because I get excited writing these things. Please review!

Disclaimer: Anything that you readers recognize as Teen Titans is not mine.

Chapter 10 Rising Anger

From somewhere in the darkness, the sound of his cell being opened put every one of Beast Boy's senses on alert. With great difficulty, the teen forced himself to his feet and face the door. His weary eyes held pain, anger, and dread for what was about to come.

The cell door opened without a sound and the lights to the room flickered on with a buzz. Two men-like robots walked mechanically into the cell with no emotion on their faces. Beast Boy bit his lower lip as he backed away from the robots, knowing all too well what was to come.

The robots were lighting quick with catching the changeling. The teen ducked to the side to avoid the first grab. The second robot managed to catch a piece of Beast Boy's shirt and yank him back. With a surprised yelp, the captured Titan was flung backwards into the handcuffs. He snarled at the two robots, defying them in any way he could as he was forced out of his cell and down the hall.

The sound of someone else's footsteps came to Beast Boy's high tuned elf-like ears. Quickly, the teen sniffed the air. His eyes widened as the robots dragged him down the hall. He sniffed again to make sure he wasn't wrong about the scent. Once Beast Boy smelt someone, it was likely he could identify it again.

"Dude! I know who that is! It's Robin!" Beast Boy yelled at his robots. Just like Beast Boy had predicted, Robin rounded the corner by himself. Beast Boy's jaw dropped when he saw his friend wearing a jumpsuit that he had seen the scientists wear who experimented on him. But what really took the teen for a trip was that Robin was looking dead ahead and ignoring him completely.

"No! Let me go!" Beast Boy yelled at the robots. Desperately, Beast Boy leaned closer to Robin when they were passing and screamed at him, "Robin! What are you doing? Look at me, dude! Robin!"

"How do you know my name?" Robin snapped at the changeling with a harsh tone in his voice that made Beast Boy cringe. "Stop!" he ordered the robots. The two robots stopped and turned to Robin. "Where are you taking him?" he asked them.

"Room 202 for testing," both robots responded at the same time with eerie mechanical voices.

"I'll take this _thing_ there," Robin told the robots, his voice firm and sharp.

"Yes," the robots said in union while shoving Beast Boy toward the other teen. Robin caught Beast Boy by the shoulder and glared down at him with a coolness Beast Boy didn't know Robin was capable of. Without another word exchanged, Robin clung onto Beast Boy's arm and dragged him in the opposite direction the robots headed.

"Robin, don't you recognize me?" Beast Boy pleaded with his friend. "Why are you being so cruel? Tell me!"

Suddenly they rounded the corner. Robin spun around, grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders, and forced him into a small nook in the wall where a camera couldn't see both of them. Robin shoved Beast Boy against he wall and placed a hand on his mouth to prevent him from shouting any surprise.

"Beast Boy, please, just listen," Robin told his friend in a rushed whisper. "This place is really a school brainwashing teen superheroes and villains for their own use. What they want to accomplish with this, I have no clue right now. They tried to brainwash me by taking away my memories, but I somehow came through with half of them erased. Unfortunately, Starfire is truly brainwashed and I have to fight her at three this afternoon. I need help!"

Slowly, Robin took his hand off of Beast Boy's mouth and let him go. Nervously, the teen ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh that had seemed to be pent up for eternity. Beast Boy had never seen Robin so apprehensive. The leader looked like he was going to crack any second.

"Jeez! Dude, you look awful!" Beast Boy said with a crooked smile.

Surprisingly, Robin looked back at Beast Boy and broke out into a wide grin. "I've had to act like a jerk the whole day," he told Beast Boy. "If I slip up just once, I could be found out. I guess the stress is really taking a toll on me. But what about you? What have they done to you, Beast Boy? You look ten times worse than I do right now."

If Beast Boy had nine cat lives, it looked like he was down to at least his third. His green fur was a dirty mat against his skin with black and brown singe marks. His whole countenance was dulled. The usual brightness and spark in his eyes was replaced with a perpetual look of worry. He didn't look good.

"They do tests," Beast Boy said softly. He saw Robin's smile fad. Robin was smart enough to know what was going on when Beast Boy said "tests". "Most of the time they are…very painful," Beast Boy went on with no emotion. To coup with the pain, the green teen had blocked out most of those memories.

"I…I don't know how much of this I can take," Beast boy said to Robin, emotion returning to his voice again. "I think they are doing the same to Raven. Sometimes she talks to me in my head. We're being broken down, Robin. We can't last much longer."

Robin put his hands on Beast Boy's shoulders and told him seriously, "I promise you, I'm getting my team out of this cruel place, even if it kills me. I swear these people, whoever they are, will pay for what they have done to my team! You and Raven just need to hold on till the time comes. Please, Beast Boy, fight through this. Tell Raven to do the same next time you talk. Promise me I won't have to take one less member home!"

"Dude, Robin, you know your team," Beast Boy said with a grin. "Just the thought of you out there scheming against these people will keep me and Raven going." Beast Boy's eyes darkened as he added, "Anger is the one thing fueling us right now."

Robin smiled wryly. "You couldn't have said it better," he said. "Let's just say getting brainwashed is not a fun thing for your mind to go through."

"So why do you need my help?" Beast Boy asked after a slight pause between them.

Robin's cheeks flushed slightly before he asked, "Besides throwing starbolts, what else does Starfire do?"

Beast Boy looked at Robin with confusion for a second. "Like as in power wise?" he asked. Robin nodded, too ashamed to speak. "She can fly," Beast Boy said slowly with perplexity in his voice.

"She can?" Robin asked.

"How much of your memory did they erase?" Beast Boy asked in shock. The changeling's heart went out for his leader when seeing the teen look down with a sad expression on his usual masked face. He had never seen Robin so distressed. It kind of scared him.

Robin had always been strong, the perfect image of a leader in Beast Boy's eyes. Sure, sometimes Robin got on Beast Boy's nerves because he was so serious all the time and they had no similar interests, but the two were like brothers. Seeing Robin like this was all new to Beast Boy.

"Don't worry too much about it, dude," Beast Boy quickly told Robin. "Starfire can fly, throw starbolts, has lasers in her eyes, and has super strength." He paused before asking, "You sure you want to fight her?"

"Fighting her is not the problem," Robin said with a sigh. He didn't remember Starfire having that many powers. "Its winning that will be the difficult part," he told Beast Boy. "She's not going to hold back on me. She has no clue who I am."

"Um…good luck on that, dude," Beast Boy said, trying not to sound dubious about Robin ever winning against her. He tentatively patted his leader on the shoulder and forced a smile. Robin stared hard back at Beast Boy for a long moment before smiling weakly.

"So here we go," Robin said with another sigh.

"Hey, we're Titans," Beast Boy told Robin. It was awkward for Beast Boy to be the one cheering up Robin, but he was able to manage. "We've done the impossible before. Just…don't get yourself killed." He put up his right hand for a high-five.

"Nice advice," Robin said sarcastically before high-fiving the Titan.

-Few Hours Later-

The Arena sat in the dead center of the underwater Stellar Academy. The place was at least four stories high with steel floors and ceilings. The rounded walls were all bullet proof glass so that onlookers from all levels could observe the fights that took place there. Boxes with glass flooring on the ceiling gave others a bird's eye view of the brutal and sometimes deadly battles.

In one of these hanging boxes stood two rival brothers. Derek had his hands clasped together behind his back, a smug smile planed on his face. Gerard stood on the other side of the cube room with his arms folded in front of his chest. A scowl had seemed to have crept up upon his usual charismatic features recently. It was obvious that he was worried somewhat about the battle soon to take place.

"You're actually worried about you assignment, Gerard?" Derek asked his brother. Gerard looked up at Derek but stayed silent. "You shouldn't care about his life," Derek continued without meeting Gerard's steady gaze. "But of course you've always been attached to whomever they assign you to."

Gerard narrowed his eyes on his brother in disgust, but still managed to keep his mouth firmly shut. He was as great as Slade when it came down to holding in his anger and distaste. No amount of taunting could make him explode.

Under his breath, but just loud enough so his brother could hear, Derek muttered, "Hopefully Robin won't turn out like his last one." It took everything in Gerard not to react.

-In the Arena-

Starfire confidently walked to the center of the Arena's circle-like room. A kid around her age was standing there with a white and green striped shirt on. He was the referee. His only job was to tell the two opponents their rules before running for cover.

The alien girl observed Robin without much care. The teen was just as confident in his winning of the battle as she was, but she didn't need to worry. He had no powers. This would be a very easy win if she used her super strength and flying powers. She had already plotted out all the possibilities of the moves he would make and how she would counteract them. Even now she could visualize her last move to finish him off and be victorious. She was still debating if she wanted to kill him at the end or not.

Robin watched Starfire with narrowed eyes as he summed her up. He had had an hour to come up with something to help him with this fight. Only one battle plan had stuck. His performance had to be perfect, though. He could not afford to deviate for a second. As he walked to the center, Robin excessively reviewed his plan over and over again in his head.

"Okay you two," the referee said to the opponents, "You guys start here in the middle. When you hear the buzzer that means you guys can go at each other all you want. The Academy encourages you two to fight till the other says they have given up or unconscious, but you are allowed to go to the death if you wish to do so. When the battle starts, you can use or do anything to win. Any questions?" The two opponents shook their heads no. The ref nodded before running off to the side of the room where a door swooshed open to let him out.

A knot formed in Robin's stomach when he heard the door lock shut behind the ref. For a brief second the teen let himself close his eyes and focus. He knew what he was doing. He would be fine.

The buzzer blasted loudly into the room, putting both teens into the fray.

Robin ducked rolled just as Starfire shot straight over his head in flight. The teen was quick to be back on his feet and high into the air. Starfire gave a frustrated growl as she doubled back only to realize Robin had predicted both her moves. The teen soared gracefully over the girl's head and landed lightly behind her.

Starfire wasted no time at coming at Robin. With a loud battle yell, the alien swirled on her heel with her other leg executing a strong roundhouse kick. Robin managed to avoid the attack and then the series of fierce punches thrown at him. He dodged with such speed and agility, the mass crowd of teens who had shown up actually laughed and cheered him on.

Suddenly Robin made his move. He grabbed Starfire's arm that had been extended in mid punch to hold her firm. With a quick battle yell, he brought up his knee and shoved it into her gut. He spun to his side and rammed his elbow straight into her solar plexus before roundhouse kicking her to the side.

The crowd watching outside the room shook their heads in shock when seeing the alien girl fall onto her back. They had never seen a normal human do that to someone with powers before. It was at this very instant that the fight got interesting. The crowd only got bigger.

Robin waited patiently for Starfire to get back to her feet. He had never hurt her that way before. He didn't allow himself to be effected by this, though. He was calm and collected. The battle was going just as he planned. He was now in complete control.

Starfire's confidence and pride had been seriously tarnished by now. Her anger had been heated up to a small boil. She didn't let the emotion take over, though. So the normal human had outsmarted her for a second, she had to get over it. She got to her feet with a scowl. Her brilliant emerald eyes narrowed onto Robin with a loathsome darkness in them.

For a second or two, the two opponents stared at each other. Robin didn't dare make the first move. He hated to admit it, but Slade had taught him a few very useful fighting techniques. Being the first to make a move usually wasn't a good idea. Doing so meant you were rash and not thinking ahead. Slade had taught the boy to be more patient, but it was very unlikely for the man ever to receive a thank you from the teen.

Starfire suddenly shot high into the air like a missile on a mission to obliterate an enemy's camp. Robin watched her closely as she flew all the way to the ceiling then positioned herself so she was facing him. The girl pushed off the ceiling with her two feet and blasted downward with tremendous speed.

Robin held his ground till the last second. He nimbly did a few skillful flips to the side just as the alien girl rushed past him. The boy kept Starfire in his sights the whole time. For a few more minutes Starfire tried rushing him, but every time Robin deftly jumped or flipped out of the way.

"Stay still, human!" Starfire shouted her frustration at Robin as she hovered above him to catch her breath. Robin watched her silently with his face expressionless.

Starfire decided it was time to pull out the big guns. Her eyes glowed ominously as she created starbolts in both her hands. Robin faked his surprise by widening his eyes when he saw this. With battle yells, Starfire started to fling her green starbolts at Robin. The teen on the ground scrambled to dodge her attacks. Everywhere he ran he was met with a green haze, inches away from being blown away.

Robin let Starfire throw her starbolts at him for a few minutes to make it look like he was on the defense. He had to make it look like the fight was random and impromptu on his part. It was almost comical how it was all coming together. The crowd behind the glass bought the whole thing. Didn't they notice how ridiculous this was? They didn't see how well informed Robin was with Starfire's powers?

Finally, Robin thought he had had enough of dodging starbolts. He ran straight for the glass wall. He ran up the slick surface till he felt gravity trying to force him back to the earth. He bent his knees then pushed off the glass, heading straight for Starfire.

The alien girl saw him coming and prepared for the impact. Just as Robin slammed into her in mid air, she latched onto his wrists as he did hers. She tried to throw him into another wall, but he hung on tight to her wrists.

As the two struggled with grunts of frustration in the air, Robin brought up a leg and shoved his heel into Starfire's side. This pushed the girl over the edge. With a growl, she used all her strength to throw the other teen away and off of her.

Robin let out a yell of surprise as he found himself flying through the air away from Starfire. His back slammed roughly into the glass wall. Robin winced as it felt like every bone in his body was shattered like glass. He could faintly hear the kids behind the wall cheer for Starfire with violent loving liveliness.

Starfire sped over to Robin before he could fall back to the ground. She kept him pinned up against the wall with a knee shoved into his stomach. She flung her fist up to get a good punch in. All she needed was this one punch. She could knock him into a coma or better yet…smash his skull in and kill him like she would a pathetic cockroach. Nothing was keeping her from smashing him under her heel.

For a fleeting second, genuine fright crossed Robin's masked eyes. He had never seen Starfire like this. Her coldness and cruelty was something all new to him. He thought that maybe this close he could see a glimpse of his old Starfire in her eyes, but he saw nothing. Her narrowed eyes were hollow and filled with rage toward him. She had no second thoughts of killing him. It scared Robin that Starfire was even capable of doing so.

Her fist hit the glass as Robin dodged the punch, close to shattering the clear wall. Robin ignored the pressure crushing his gut as he contortioned his body so that both his legs wrapped around Starfire's neck. She gave a gurgled scream as the legs intertwined around her neck forced her away from Robin.

Once he was free, Robin fell toward the ground. He grabbed onto one of Starfire's ankles and dragged her toward the earth with him. Once his feet touched the floor, Robin grabbed more of Starfire's leg and swung her down to the ground. The girl didn't have time to fly away. She crashed to the floor with a cry of pain.

This was going to be the hard part for Robin. Now he had to be just as cold blooded as he had seen Starfire be. He wouldn't be allowed to wince, grimace, or show any hint of remorse as he took his fellow Titan down. There was no turning back. His goal was to win.

Starfire was just getting to her feet when Robin shot out with his heel to her head. The forceful blow to her skull made her stumble backwards with stars exploding across her vision. Robin struck again with a knee to her side and a fierce punch to the girl's face. The simultaneous moves managed to get a cry of pain from Starfire as she fell to her knees.

Robin hated himself a million times over as he came at Starfire with a few more powerful kicks and punches. He growled in disgust with himself. It took every logic bone in Robin's body to keep hitting Starfire. He just wanted it over and done with now. He wanted to stop this violence and run to his room and scream into his pillow.

His feelings almost overwhelmed him. Hot, stinging tears welded up in his eyes, threatening to escape him. What had reduced him to this vicious animal? This was not right at all!

And this whole time he could hear the cheers and whoops behind the thick glass walls. The onlookers' eyes were filled with excitement and thrill. None of them turned their heads away or closed their eyes as Robin accidentally punched Starfire's nose and drew blood. The crimson liquid actually produced more ovations from the blood lusting crowd of teens outside.

What kind of school let him do this to his friend? They were allowing him to beat the crap out of someone, even kill if he wished to do so! Robin's gut twisted into a sickening knot. The brainwashing not only erased all old memories, but somehow it planted this brutality, this cold malice.

Robin knew the second he knocked out Starfire. He stopped everything he was doing and watched her slump limply to the floor, her nose dripping fresh blood. Robin gasped for breath, not because he was out of it; but because he felt like he was sinking into oblivion. The world swirled wildly around him.

He couldn't look at Starfire anymore. He turned around with his eyes closed, trying to look as composed as he most possibly could. He hoped the crowd couldn't see him shake uncontrollably. He would NEVER do that to a friend again! Stellar Academy was going to pay for what they were doing to him and his team!

Anger for the place he was now trapped and boiling inside of Robin as he walked out of the Arena and into a cheering crowd. It was time to get himself and his team out of there. But first, he needed a plan…and someone from the inside to help him with it.

-Above the Arena-

Gerard could feel his brother's anger even though he didn't as much as glance at him. The air in the room was dry and slowly started to heat up. Derek was on the brink of exploding with fury. His eyes full of malice glared down on Robin as the teen left the Arena barely scathed.

"I guess I really shouldn't have worried," Gerard finally said as he looked over to his brother. Derek glared daggers at him. Gerard put his hands in his pockets and casually strolled over to the door of the room.

"Where are you going?" Derek asked in a low growl.

"I need a break of all this nonsense," Gerard told his brother in a nonchalant, almost cheerful voice. "The Arena is like a video game to me…if you play it too often, eventually it gets boring. See you in a few hours at dinner. Hopefully Starfire will be well enough to be there too."

"Smart ass," Derek spat back.

"You love colorful language, don't you?" Gerard asked, his charming grin finally returning to his features. He gave a bow to his brother before leaving the room humming the tune of _A Pirates Life for Me_, his trademark song.

With hands curling into tight fists, Derek glared down at Robin. How did the Titan know how to take Starfire down so well? It didn't matter, though. Derek was convinced that Robin was not fully under his Master's control yet. Susan had said that there had been a few difficulties when they tried to brainwash Robin. Derek _knew_ Robin had staged this whole fight.

And somehow Derek felt that Gerard knew as well. What bothered Derek, though, was not that Robin was still his old self and plotting to escape. He worried about Gerard not doing anything about it. Gerard used to love the Arena and his brothers, until someone else stole his love. Derek had thought that Gerard was over that old love, but now he was second guessing the loyalty of his brother.

"I'll be watching both of you very closely," Derek promised to the non present Gerard and Robin. A slick, evil smile returned to the kid's lips. He couldn't wait to catch them in the act and kill them off. Soon there would be two less nuisances in the world.

A/N: Whew! Writing that fight scene was exciting! The next chapter should be out this weekend or the next. I'm still in the middle of typing it. I know what I want with it now; I just don't have enough time to work on it. By the way, reviews motivate me to post sooner. So please review!


	31. Chapter 11 Attitude Adjustment

A/N: For anyone who hasn't experienced 11th grade yet, let me warn you a head of time. It's tough! I've had no time what-so-ever to write in between school, homework, rugby, and my new boy friend. So please forgive me for not updating last weekend like I said I would. Hope you like this chapter. It's very…dramatic. Yeah. Let's go with that. Please review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is Teen Titans.

Chapter 11 Attitude Adjustment

Journal Entry 10

The real world slowly pulled me back into its ensnarling grasp. I didn't feel anything welcoming about returning to the cold world I had recently learned to dislike. So when I first woke up, I kept my eyes closed, wishing to return to the dark and haziness of my mind.

The first thing that registered in me was the coldness of the room. I was lying on my stomach on a slab of freezing cold metal. My cheek was plastered to the floor, numb from being there for so long. My clothes were still wet from my recent dive into the ocean, which made it even colder on my part. I soon found myself shivering slightly.

I opened my eyes to face reality after a minute of just lying there, shivering like the wimp I felt I was. The room was pitch-black. I had no idea how big it was. Just as my eyes were adjusting to the darkness, a well placed flood light boomed on right above me. The sound and suddenness of it made me gasp in alarm and recoil, squeezing my eyes shut. The echoing of it turning on told me that the room I was in was pretty big. Maybe I was in a warehouse.

I forced myself to open my eyes again. The light brightly shone off the metal, practically blinding me. I bit my lower lip, trying to keep the small rising fear in me from escaping. I needed to get to my feet and get out of there. The air around me had a sense of haunting to it. Dread had crept into my system, plaguing me with panic that was hard to keep at bay.

In a rush, I felt someone in the room with me. I looked up to see who it was, but I couldn't see anything outside the circle of light the flood lamp blasted around me. Pushing myself up with my arms, I finally realized how worn out I was. My muscles protested under my skin as I got to my hands and knees.

Suddenly I saw boots step into the circle of light right in front of me. My senses registered that it was Slade. I paused. Everything that had happened finally came fully back to me. My team was separated, maybe captured, the Titans and maybe others were brainwashed and still captured, and I had failed at doing everything by practically getting myself drown. Yay me.

"Let me guess," I said softly, not daring enough to meet Slade's critical gaze, "You told me so."

"No," Slade said.

I lifted my head up to give him a confused look. Since when did Slade throw down the chance to humiliate me? My puzzlement worsened when I didn't detect any anger or annoyance from the man. He was bothered by something, but nothing serious. He was just…emotionless. For some reason this bugged me.

"Rose is dead," he said flatly.

And just like that, the mystery was solved.

It was like a blow to my gut. For a second I just stared up at him with my mouth hanging wide open in complete shock and horror. I looked back down to the metal floor, trying to make sense of this. Rose being dead was not computing with my brain. Then it came with a rush of hard hitting emotions.

I gasped loudly because I had been holding my breath since the news had been dropped. Taking shallow breaths, I tried to keep back the sob pushing up my throat that desperately wanting to be released.

"She died from unknown reasons," Slade explained in monotone, "The doctors said she had given up the fight to live. She died peacefully and painlessly. They plan to burry her sometime next week."

"No…not Rose," I whispered in disbelief. I pulled on my hair with my hands, ready to pull it out with the insanity of it all. "Not now. I was going to get her out of the coma. We were going to marry, grow old with each other. No." As I said this, searing hot tears dripped from my eyes to the metal floor, making almost soundless splashes.

"Gene, denial will not help you right now," Slade told me. "There was nothing you could have done, so do not put guilt on yourself. Right now you have a serious mission to continue. You can not let emotion cloud your vision. You need to put it away for now. Grieve all you want when you are done rescuing the Titans."

"How can you say that?" I screamed back up at Slade. I forced myself to my feet, hands exploding with black energy. I had gone through so much pain in my life. He had just given me the final blow. Now he expected me to just "move on"? No!

"You do not know how it feels to –,"

"You do _not_ know me enough to finish that sentence," Slade told me with such harshness in his tone that it made me back off. My anger vanished along with the black fire my powers were producing. All I wanted to do was cry. Rose was gone. How could I ever get on with my life? At the time I couldn't come up with any answer.

"You disappoint me, Gene," Slade said after a pause of silence. He began to slowly circle me with his critical gaze pinned on me as he continued. "You are the combination of two great superheroes, and yet you go ahead and almost manage to get killed. Robin or Raven would have won that battle you had with those two in less than ten minutes. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be alive right now."

I didn't say anything because he was right. I failed life. I almost wished that I hadn't been saved from death by Slade. I'd be with Rose. I wouldn't have to deal with my miserable life. I wouldn't have to worry about bringing a demon from another dimension into the world. I'd be done with Slade, the Titans, my team… and everything! Isn't that what I wanted? Just to be done with everything?

Slade forced me to answer that question right then and there.

"I'm giving you one last chance, boy," Slade told me, his voice sharp and to the point. "Right now, you can leave. You can give up on this life you now lead, do whatever you wish, and not be bothered by me ever again. I'll disown you completely. Right now, I will have no problem with that. You would have been a waste of my time."

"I don't need to hear the other option," I said solemnly. I turned around and slowly started to walk toward a door bathed in darkness. "Never seeing you again will make me happier than ever," I said behind my shoulder.

I was seriously going to do it. My emotions were so high and mixed up that I wasn't thinking straight. My head swirled with my pain and agony of losing Rose and my team, of failing everyone in this world including myself. I felt like a dried up leaf that finally snaps off the tree with the last push of the wind, dead and beyond repair. It was only a matter of time before I was just dust.

I was done with this life I had tried to live, and walking through that door would permanently seal it.

"The other option is for you to move on," Slade said as he watched me walk away. "I'll let you return to your team, who are fine by the way, and rescue the Titans. Choosing this means that you will have to undergo some minutes of my teaching. You are not fit or educated enough to free the superheroes, but I believe you can do it if I teach you a few simple things."

I paused when he said this. My team was okay, not captured? Slade was going to let me rescue the Titans? He was going to train me? I still faced the small doorway in the dark, mulling these things over in my head. This was hard for me to believe coming from Slade. He had a knack for bending the truth.

I shook my head and started to walk away again. No! I wasn't going to fall for any of his dumb traps! He was giving me the option for a life I wanted, a life of less pain. Why would I ever want to keep at this other one where I was destined to fail?

Slade didn't say anything as he watched me leave. I didn't feel him express any emotion as well. I kept my eyes on the door, trying not to think about what I was doing. I was doing myself a favor by walking away.

Before I could get to that door, my racing mind betrayed me, forcing me to stop again. What about my team? What about the Titans? Who else was going to help them if I gave up? For some reason Robin trusted me enough to send Kid Wicked to me. He had enough faith in me to trust I would come and help.

Looking up with a frustrated sigh, I tried to block this concept from my head. I wasn't a superhero. There was a one in a million chance I would ever save the Titans. And yet something in me wanted to try. This surprised me. Since when did I _want_ to go out and get my ass kicked?

"I hate you," I growled at Slade as I spun around and walked back to where he was standing. I felt him smile evilly under his mask. I shot him a deathly glare. It gave him so much pleasure to see me frustrated and emotionally defeated.

"What is your answer?" he asked me calmly. He already knew it; he just wanted to see me mumble it under my breath in subtle defiance.

"I'm going to try and rescue the Titans," I answered with my arms folded in front of me, a scowl on my face. I didn't like the fact that what I was doing was incredibly stupid…and exactly what Slade wanted from me.

"Good boy," Slade said. I instinctively flinched when I heard him say this. I was not his trained dog!

"But I'm not doing this for you!" I snapped back quickly to get my point across. "The only reason why I'm doing this is because I…" Slade raised an eyebrow as I paused to think. I really had no concrete reason.

Maybe it was because I hated to loose, or it could be because I didn't want to be so cold as to just walk away, leaving the Titans captured. But later on I realized my main reason for choosing the second option was because it felt right. Yeah, I know cheesy beyond belief, right? Everything I had been doing for the past few days had felt right. It was a small feeling, but a good one. It was a feeling I had, till I started to walk away. Maybe it was just one of my many weird powers.

"You're training begins now," Slade announced suddenly. I shot him a surprised look just in time to see him press a button on a device wrapped around his wrist. Flood lights around the room boomed to life, lighting the large room up with a powerful shine.

Squinting, I saw that the place could be an empty warehouse of some kind. The place was pretty spacious, maybe two football fields long going both ways and with a high ceiling that held rafters. It could just as easily have been a room in one of Slade's many secret layers. The man had connections all around the world. Australia could simply be a location he had a layer in. I had no clue.

Panels of metal suddenly faded away from the walls all around Slade and me, who were standing exactly in the middle of the spacious room. About a dozen or more of Slade's robots poured out of these openings in the walls. They didn't hesitate as they ran right toward us from all sides.

"Whoa! What is going on? Call them off!" I yelled at Slade. My eyes were now wide in horror as all these robots barreled toward me. I was going to get creamed!

"Think of them not as my robots, but the enemy, Gene," Slade told me calmly.

Slade had his hands firmly clasped behind his back, his feet apart, in complete tranquility with the elements around him. On the other hand, I was on the brink of freaking out. Eyes wide, jaw slack in shock, knees slightly bent, half way into a fighting stance and panic mode.

"You got to be kidding me!" I shouted at Slade just as the robots got close enough to really hurt me. Thinking quickly, fueled by my anger, my hands burst into black flames. With a grunt, I latched my powers onto one of the robots running toward me and shoved him back into one of his metal friends.

I spun around, let go of the first robot, and managed to grip my powers onto another robot. Instead of pushing him backwards, I used it as a club and swung it sideways. The robot whacked down about six other robots before I had to let go.

Before I could sum up more emotion for another levitation move, I got body checked by another robot from my right side. Letting out a surprised yelp, I slammed onto the metal floor on my left shoulder. I ignored the shot of pain that flashed down my shoulder as I sprung back to my feet.

The robot threw a punch that I easily dodged. I spun off my left heel with my right leg extended. The roundhouse kick met its mark, sending the robot straight to the ground. Sparks sputtered from its neck area.

Large, cold hands suddenly grabbed my shoulders. Before I could react, one of the robots flung me high into the air. Airborne, I let out a small scream before hitting the metal floor, hard. The impact sent a blast of pain shooting down my back where I had landed before rolling to a weak stop.

"Stop," Slade said to his robots that were all a few yards away.

Wincing, I got to my hands and knees. I looked up to see Slade walking over to me. His robots seemed to be put on pause. They stood where they had last been, still as deer listening for danger. I forced myself to my feet.

"First, you let them come too close before attacking," Slade told me. His voice was a little harsh along with his words.

"You could have freaking warned me you were going to sick a dozen of your robots on me!" I spat back.

"Do you think your enemy will warn you before he attacks?" Slade stated rather than asked. He ignored my insolent glare and continued with his lecture. "That was you initial down fall. You adapted fast, but that first mistake was what led to you here. You have to act fast, without hesitation." He stepped away from me, pressed the button, and said, "Again."

And that was how the next two hours were spent. I'd go out and somehow get my butt kicked by his robots. He'd stop them and tell me all my flaws, wrongs, and stupidity with a few comments about what I did well. He'd finish it with what I needed to do better and then un pause the robots. Then the cycle would be repeated.

As time went by, my strength and endurance dropped at a drastic rate while my anger and frustration rose to a full on boil. I didn't like having all my flaws shoved harshly into my face. Mix that with the news of Rose being dead and you get a very emotionally distressed kid.

At one point I totally lost control over my anger. My mind let the emotion go for a split second. At the same time, my body exploded with black energy. I barely remembered myself destroying every robot in the room. It was all just a short, hazy moment of me fighting for that ounce of control again. The next thing I knew it, Slade had his hands gripping my shoulders and demanding for me to gain control as he shook me violently.

I gave a loud gasp and pushed him away, freaked out with myself. Slade backed off and watched me closely, one eye narrowed in silent anger with me. I took in large gulps of air and closed my eyes. I didn't know what had happened to me. I had promised myself not to go into that state again. Like before, I was scared out of my mind about losing so much control.

"I don't ever want to see you lose control like that again!" Slade exploded finally. The room was an inferno with his heated emotion. I winced as the scorching heat swirled around me.

"Just because you are angry and frustrated does not give you an excuse to lose control of your powers like that!" Slade continued. He was still angry, but wouldn't allow it to be shown with his words. "Anger can fuel your actions and endurance, but that is not letting it control you. You control your anger! If you can't do that here and now, you are not fit to go on! Again!"

I'll admit, for the next few minutes after Slade's outburst I ignored what he said. I wallowed in the aftermath of my anger, letting it come to a boil again. I swam in my failures, mistakes and guilt. I opened up my mind to all those pent up emotions. They swirled around, engulfing me as I fought off Slade's robots.

I then snapped.

Creating a force field around my body, I closed my eyes that were filled with tears. Robots surrounded my bubble, trying to break it. Slade said and did nothing. He knew he couldn't do anything anyways.

I just couldn't take it anymore. I was sick of feeling so many negative emotions, of feeling like a wimp, of always having to blame something or someone for my failures, of feeling guilty for things that were out of my control, and for not doing everything with all my strength and passion. I was sick of being me!

It was time for me to change, suck it up, and move along! Like Slade said, if I couldn't do all that here and now, I wasn't fit to go on at all.

"Alright," I whispered, opening my eyes. I let out a long, pent up breath. "I need a punching bag," I said while looking around at the swarm of robots that were pounding against my black shield, "A few dozen robots that look like Slade will just have to do." For the first time in what felt like years, I let out a genuine smile.

For another hour I ripped into those robots with everything I had. I listened to what Slade had to say and actually did what he told me to do. Those 60 minutes were some of the worst and best minutes of my life. I hated being there with Slade, but the basics of what he taught me there I remember even to this day.

Slade ended the gruesome, hard core training with 15 fresh robots with laser guns. I was quick to spring my powers into action. I focused all my energy on their weapons. A quick flick of my hand sent all the laser guns into the air and smashing against a wall.

The move was the last of my dark power's energy. I abandoned my powers and recklessly went with an idea that had come to me. I ran at a robot and at the last second slid forward on my side with one leg extended. My heel rammed right into the robot's leg and sent it spiraling to the ground.

I came to a halt a yard away from a laser gun that was in good enough condition to work. I sprung off the ground, practically lunging for the gun with outstretched hands. A robot slammed into me before I got there. It forced me into a wall. Stars exploded across my vision as my head banged against the metal along with the rest of my body.

Desperately, I muttered my mantra and pulled the gun to me with the last ounce of my depleted powers. The second the gun was in my hand and my finger was around the trigger, I had it up at the robot's neck. I pulled the tigger and slashed a laser across the robot's neck, "killing" the merciless thing for good by severing its "head".

I brought up a leg and kicked the thing's body away from me, simultaneously shooting the gun at the other robots coming at me. I aimed for their "necks" and "legs", either killing them or making them practically immobile. Both worked fine for me.

Near the end, where there were only three robots left, I dropped the gun and had my fun with them. These robots were evil things; their only goal is to squish you. I seriously loved beating these guys up.

A few simple roundhouse kicks and hard punches took the last three robots to the floor of littered robot parts, joining the scrap metal like the rest of them. The broken pieces sparked and sputtered all around the large room. Smoke rose up from some of them, threatening to burst into flames.

It was at this time that I finally felt worn out, close to passing out. I sucked in air deeply to catch my breath as sweat dripped down my back, drenching me in the odious liquid. I was just glad to be done. I had used up all my fuel, both physically and mentally.

"You did…well," Slade said, for the first time in history actually hesitating when speaking. I looked up at him from where I was bent over gasping for air. I raised an eyebrow in silent question and gave him a smirk.

"You thought I was going to fail, didn't you?" I asked him, my smirk turning into a wide grin.

I was only answered with silence and a flare of irritated heat. He didn't have to say anything for me to pick up his emotions. He was annoyed that I had proved him wrong and was now detecting it. Our battle of annoyances was still on!

"You can gloat over your pathetic victory after you rescue the Titans," Slade said calmly, ignoring my question. "You have a very long way to go if you want to match both superheroes."

"Speaking of the whole rescuing thing," I said, standing up straight now that I had caught my breath, "When do I get together with my team again?"

Slade strode over to me with his gaze focused on the opposite wall. "You will see them again sooner than you think," he said right as he took out a syringe needle from behind his back and plunged it into my shoulder. Quick as lightning, he had its contents in my system.

"I _hate_ you!" I hissed at him as I fell to my hands and knees. I cringed as the chemicals took over my body in seconds. I wasn't used to having something like this in me, and for a second I had to beat down a flare of panic. But soon I returned to the darkness of unconsciousness that I was beginning to get used to.

The darkness didn't last long, though. Suddenly I was falling through a red, muddled cloud. I landed painfully on a dry piece of land. Wincing, I got to my feet while looking around. A few swear words came to mind once I recognized where I was.

World dominating and personal torturer demon guy was back for another beating session.

"Swell," I muttered crestfallenly. The day was just going from bad to worse.

End of Journal Entry 10

A/N: More from the Titans next chapter! Expect that one either next weekend or the one after that one. Please review!


	32. Chapter 12 Turning the Tides

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. My computer has been up and down recently, so I haven't been able to actually type in weeks. But now that Rugby has ended somewhat, I'll have more time to type. Sorry again for the delay. Please review!

Disclaimer: Anything you've seen in a Teen Titan episode in here is not mine.

Chapter 12 Turning the Tides

The room for testing was usually silent and creepy. It was a big room filled with dark cages occupied with sad faced or gone mad unlucky animals. Sometimes a pitiful cry or moan from one of these forgotten creatures could be heard. The room held a great variety of these animals to be tested upon. A sick curiosity of a scientist can sometimes go too far.

In the back of the dim room, Gerard was sitting on a cold metal table with his feet dangling out over the edge. A cage from one of the many on the shelves had been set next to him. His meerkat friend was on his other side, gulping down some food Gerard had stolen for him at lunch.

Gerard was a whole different person when he was in the testing room. Because it didn't have security cameras in there, the teen was free to be himself. It was the only place he felt safe to take his mask off.

"Yes, I know smoking is bad for me," Gerard was saying to the meerkat, Napoleon, with a relaxed softness to his tone. He scratched his friend behind the ears while saying, "But it sooths my nerves." He blew the smoke from his cigarette out of his nose with a sigh. The gray hazy cloud listlessly floated upward till it vanished. Another good thing about the room was that it didn't have any smoke alarms.

The teen breathed in the smoke and nicotine a few more times before adding to Napoleon, "At least I'm not like Derek. He has no control over his powers or wishes to have any when he is angry. He just explodes with energy and destruction, which is most of the time now. I…I remember when we were close."

The cute teenaged meerkat glanced up from his food and made a calming grunt to Gerard before shoving his nose back into his bowl. The animal was in pretty good shape for being in a lab for testing, mostly because Gerard had watched out for him since the animal was born. That had been when _she_ was still around. She was gone now, he needed to move on.

Suddenly the meerkat gave a short grunt that Gerard recognized as one of alarm. The animal looked up at Gerard with its big black eyes. His gaze was piercing and almost demanding, but Gerard didn't want to deal with it as he took a big draw of his cigarette and let a stream of smoke out of his mouth before looking back down at Napoleon.

"What are you looking at?" Gerard asked him lightly. The meerkat gave another one of his sounds. Gerard's smile faded. "You sure?" he asked, "'Cause I don't like wasting these things." He held up his cigarette to show his friend.

Another grunt told Gerard what he needed and didn't want.

Swearing slightly under his breath, Gerard put out his cigarette and jumped off the table quickly. The teen scooped the animal up and put him back into his cage. He locked it while at the same time putting it back into its place on a shelf. He then walked back to the wall where a set of light switches were. After a slight pause, he turned them all off.

The room plunged into deep darkness. Gerard breathed out slowly as he let himself adapt to the room. He crouched down into a stealthy stance and started to creep toward the shelves. He couldn't see the shelves, but from discipline and time, the boy had taught himself how to feel in the dark. A switch in air currents could be detected when he went into this mode.

Unfortunately, the person spying on him knew how to do the same.

Gerard caught onto the spy's skill right away. The person was practically silent as he or she moved down and up rows. At times one or the other would pause to try and listen and feel for the other. Gerard soon started to grow weary of the hunt. This person wasn't like others. This person knew too much.

Both skillfully persons wound throughout the darkness of the room. Gerard could tell the other person just wanted to disappear, but was soon realizing he wasn't fooling his subject. Gerard stayed near the only door in the room, the only entrance and exit. This person wasn't escaping.

After a few long, painful minutes of straining senses and quick thinking, Gerard had the spy cornered. He swiftly came in for the kill. He didn't believe in cold blood killing someone, but his own life could be on the line here. If the Academy thought he had gone a little bit soft by giving testing animals food, he could be killed!

Gerard lunged forward with a battle yell as he let his powers come into play. Both his hands busted into red and orange flames. The corner of the room was suddenly lit up with the blaze of the teen's hands.

Hands burning, Gerard forced the spy against the wall and put his palms on the wall right next to the spy's head. The corner of the room quickly went from cold to searing hot in seconds.

"I hate the loyalty of this place!" Gerard hissed at the spy as he drew a burning fist into the air. He stopped his attack for a second as the fire illuminated the spy's face with harsh brightness and deep shadows. It took a second, but Gerard found himself recognizing the spy.

It was Robin.

"What the hell are you doing spying on me?" Gerard growled. For a fleeting second, his fiery fist went out, but only to fling Robin to the floor. The caught teen landed harshly on his back, but Robin didn't fight back as Gerard flicked the lights back on. Robin's stare was as cold as Gerard's hands were hot.

"Answer me, Robin!" Gerard demanded, his voice hard. He made his burning hands into fists at his sides as he towered over Robin. "Who sent you to spy on me? One of my brothers? Someone near the top? God forbid, the Master himself?" Robin didn't answer. "Answer me, damn it! I am _not_ kidding with you, Robin! I do _not_ want to hurt you!"

"You're hurting yourself, Gerard," Robin finally said, his voice barely audible.

"Cut the crap! Answer –," Gerard barked but was promptly cut off by Robin's words.

"You have to go all ablaze just because I saw you being yourself, Gerard?" Robin asked, his voice and words harsh now. "Don't fool yourself. I know you can't stand this place. But you always put on that smiling mask, each and every _single_ day. You force yourself to go through the motions, be their perfect little kid. But the only difference between you and one of your brothers is that you are getting sick of it, this life you live. Oh, but that is one huge difference. If you can't control it, you know it will be your demise."

Gerard backed away as Robin got to his feet. The teen's hard features had changed into one of complete horror. His green eyes were wide with fright of the truth. Gerard shook his head and the frown returned. The fire in his hands burned greater now.

"Shut up!" Gerard yelled at Robin. "You have no clue what my life is like!"

"I know more than you think, Gerard," Robin said. "I can see it all in your eyes. You can smile and fake it all you want, but your eyes tell the true story. You want out."

"Shut up, now," Gerard pleaded. This was what he had been avoiding for so long, for someone to finally figure him out, see beyond the mask.

Robin paused to watch Gerard for a second. His toughness softened as he said calmly to the other teen, "I can give you that opportunity."

Gerard's expression of fear suddenly turned into one of confusion. His hands stopped burning as Gerard stared at Robin for a long time. "What are you talking about?" he asked slowly. He couldn't believe what he was doing. Was he really willing to betray the Academy?

"The brainwashing," Robin explained, "it didn't work exactly."

"I knew it," Gerard whispered to himself. He had suspected, but the suspicion had gone away when he saw Robin's fight with Starfire the other day. Robin was a pretty good actor; Gerard was starting to find out.

"I…want to get my team and others out of here," Robin said emotionlessly. "Actually, I _need_ to get my team out of here. I made a promise to one of them that I would."

"Whoa, please wait," Gerard said before Robin could say anything else. "I feel very sorry for you and your team, Robin, but I have my own problems. I can't just…help you."

"Why not?"

Gerard frowned deeply at this. "I don't know about you, but I _do_ have a life to live here," he told Robin. "I'm not one of those stupid brainwashed kids you see running all around the place. I'm one of the first Stellar Academy kids. I grew up here. I can't just go turn my back against them."

Robin narrowed his eyes in annoyance that Gerard took for anger.

"Don't get me wrong," Gerard said in defense. "I don't like this place either. Go ahead and scheme against it all you want. I won't say a thing. Just…just don't bring me into it." He looked down to the ground as he said the last part. The truth was that he was too scared to go against the Academy. He didn't want it to end up like the last time.

"You never said you were born here," Robin said. Gerard looked up at him for a second before he averted his eyes to the shelves full of animal cages. Robin could see the hurt in those eyes. He had hit a sore spot. "Where do your loyalties lay, Gerard?" Robin asked him. "You're eyes tell me it is not here, yet you are telling yourself it is. Stop lying to yourself. Tell me the truth."

There was a pause in the cold room.

"You know why I always hum that one pirate song?" Gerard asked quietly, his eyes still pinned on a shelf. Robin didn't say anything. He just listened. "When I was seven, my wealthy parents took my brothers and me out on their yacht for the summer in Indonesia. We all had a fun time. I remember learning how to fish with my dad. My mom, for fun, taught my brothers and me the _Pirates Life for Me_ song before she put us all to bed one night.

"That was the night we were attacked. I watched as people who I now live with slaughtered the crew and my parents by either slitting their throats or putting a gun to their head and shooting them point blank. My brothers and I had to watch the whole thing. Because of our age, we were perfect for their new Stellar Academy and spared us the raid.

"As the years went by, my brothers blocked out the memory of the night our parents died. They forgot mom and dad; they probably can't even remember their names anymore. Everything about that other life is now gone in their minds. I almost forgot about them too.

"Then I met someone, someone really nice, who sung that song my mom taught me years ago one day while we were cleaning up this very room after some experiments. The memories came back to me. The song stuck in my head. After that day, I was never the same. The memory of my parent's death will _never_ go away again."

Robin looked at the floor now, his expression one of pure sadness and remorse for Gerard and his life. He didn't think that Gerard's past could be that painful. The teen had been so charming and happy-go-lucky when Robin had first met him. Now he saw the agony Gerard was going through.

"I'm sorry," Robin whispered solemnly. "I know what it feels like to lose both parents. I lost mine when I was six. It's hard because some days…you forget what they look like and you just can't seem to forgive yourself for it."

There was another long pause between the two boys as they held eye contact with each other. Just having that one thing in common made the two boys feel like they were bounded to each other with some kind of a silent and secret code that only someone who lost a loved one could detect. They shared that moment with unsmiling, but understanding faces for a second.

"I'll do whatever you ask to take this place down," Gerard finally said. He took out a cigarette from an inside pocket in his trench coat and lit it by snapping his fingers to produce a flame. He looked back up to Robin and smiled faintly before saying, "I've been dying to say that for years."

As if snapping back into a different world, Gerard gave Robin his trademark dramatic bow while saying, "Gerard James Maxwell, here at your service."

Robin managed something of a smile as relief washed over him. For a brief second he had doubted himself with Gerard. Now he saw that he really had nothing to worry about. Gerard was on his side for now on. Robin didn't know the specifics of the teen's reasons to betraying the Academy, but he didn't care at this point. He had a friend on the inside. That was all that mattered.

-That Night-

Robin dragged himself into his room at about 11 that night. Running a hand through his sweat laden hair, the teen sluggishly walked over to his bathroom. The Academy had decided to do a random combat session at nine that night. Two hours of workout combined with the other stressful things in his new life was wearing Robin down to the very core.

Closing his weary eyes, Robin rested his forehead on the cold glass of the mirror. He had played this life for three days. Every passing hour was breaking him down. His mind was like a ticking time bomb. He expected himself to explode at any second. But so far he was fine.

Robin splashed some water on his face before changing into a pair of shorts that he slept in. The worst thing about his situation was that his mind wanted to go to the new one. He would sometimes find himself planning ahead for classes and focusing more on his homework and technique in combat more than his plan for escaping.

His mind was getting tired of being jumbled back and forth. He needed to get a grip on some firm ground in his brain. He needed his old memories back or he would drive himself crazy with these new ones. Question was: How was he going to obtain his old ones?

The second Robin sat on his bed, the voice called to him.

_Robin, can you hear me?_ Raven's voice echoed in the boy's head. Robin closed his eyes to savor her caring tone, the familiar echo. He didn't know he would miss her this much. It also dawned on him that he didn't miss Starfire as much as he did Raven. He shook the betraying thought off.

_I'm here, Raven,_ Robin thought back. _Why aren't you talking with Beast Boy? I'm sure he needs you more than I do right now. How was the testing today?_

_It was very hard,_ Raven's voice told him. _Beast Boy is asleep right now. They really wore us out today with the testing._ There was a small pause between them. _You're very stressed,_ she finally stated.

_I'm okay,_ Robin thought back to her. _My plan for escape is on its way. I got someone on the inside to help me. I can trust him. I'm just tired from acting all day to please this place and the people. It's hard to fake a life you never had._

_I don't think your memories were taken away from you with a machine,_ Raven's voice suddenly boomed into his head. Robin frowned in confusion and let her go on without interrupting her. _I've been studying this place whenever I get the chance to in between testing sessions. There seems to be some people here who have powers dealing with the mind._

_This place is a school of teens with superpowers,_ Robin repeated what he had thought to her the other night. They had talked like this in each others' heads so Robin could explain to her what was going on. _There could easily be someone who has a power like what you are talking about._

_Yes, I understand that,_ Raven thought to him quickly, _and there are many that do here. But there is someone who just stands out with his mind abilities. He can't read thoughts like I'm doing with you or control people like what Brother Blood does. This person is different. Every time I try to probe his mind, all I get are flashes of memories._

Robin leaned forward in his bed, wrapped up in what she was telling him. His mind was traveling a mile a minute with this information. How come he hadn't heard of this person yet? Was he a well kept secret to the Academy? And did he have any connection with this mysterious "Master" Gerard had mentioned earlier that day?

_What kind of memories, Rae?_ He thought to her. The two had mind conversations so often in Titans Tower that the two knew how to even put emotion into their thoughts or even send pictures to each other like you would in an email.

_There were a lot,_ Raven answered slowly. _But I knew they were someone's memories because…I saw one of yours._

Robin's throat tightened when she said this. Oh how he wanted his old memories back! Sure, he still had some of the old ones, but they were faded and hard to picture when he tried to remember them. He wanted a full memory again. A real one that was fresh and vivid! He wanted one that was like a filing cabinet; where he would open one he liked then put it away until the next time he wanted it. Was there any hope of him having one like that again?

_Robin? You still there?_ Raven asked him tentatively after a long silence.

_Yeah,_ Robin thought slowly back. _Um…could you keep looking into this person for me, Raven? I'll ask around for someone with this person's powers. I…_

_Robin,_ Raven quickly thought to stop him, _please don't…don't obsess over this._

_What?_

_All I'm saying is just…how do I put this without it hurting?_ Robin frowned deeply as he heard her sigh sadly in his head. _Robin, please just focus on getting your team out of here. I'm sorry if this sounds selfish, but the rest of your memory can wait._

Robin rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hands in exasperation. Once again his past with Slade was coming up to his butt to bite him. The man would always damage his character, even after at least two or three years of Robin growing and progressing.

_Raven,_ Robin thought back to her after a pause,_ I would NEVER give you up for the return of my memories, not even one! You, and the rest of the Titans, are…my life. I'd rather spend the rest of my life with my team than sell you guys out for memories of you guys._

For a second Robin could feel Raven's happiness. A small smile came to him as the feeling tickled his insides. It was strange to think that just a few years ago he would have blown up on the girl for hinting at his obsessive and selfish side. He _really _had grown up. And he still was growing.

_I had a feeling you were going to say that,_ Raven thought with a sarcastic tone. Robin could picture her smirk as her voice echoed through his head. He wished so badly to see her again, to see with his own eyes that smile of hers she rarely trusted to give.

And again he realized how much more he missed Raven than he did Starfire.

_Sure,_ Robin returned the sarcasm. He heard a hint of a giggle from her. The boy let himself express a broad smile when hearing the fleeting laugh of the girl. When was the last time she had ever giggled? He found himself wanted to make her laugh more.

And that was exactly what he did for the rest of that night. The two talked in each other's heads for at least an hour more, just sharing funny stories and jokes they had heard over the years. They savored each other's laughs and happiness like someone who hadn't had chocolate in a year would relish a Hershey bar on their tongue.

They both fell asleep while laughing and it was the best sleep they had in years.

A/N: The next chapter should be out by next weekend or the one after. I'm starting up a new fan fic for Danny Phantom and since I've gotten some good reviews on that one, I've decided to turn more of my focus on that fic than this one for the time being. I'm still writing this one, so don't worry about it never being finished. The updating won't be as frequent, that's all. I'm just saying if you guys want a steady flow of updates, review. And again…review…please.


	33. Chapter 13 The Memory Master

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. My computer really hates to be good for me. Oh well. Enjoy the chapter!   
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Teen Titans.   
Chapter 13 The Memory Master   
"So now what?" Robin asked Gerard as soon as the nurse left the small room. Robin had gone in for a check up because someone had detected some difficulties when Robin had been "purified", or in other words brainwashed. The teen had gone in with Gerard to see the nurse stationed at the school. She was the same lady who had stayed with Robin when he head gone under the brutal brainwashing the week before.   
"This isn't good," Gerard muttered back. He was sitting on a stool in the corner of the room, trying not to look as worrisome as he felt.   
The room was small, like any other regular check up room in a hospital or doctor's office. Robin sat on a cushioned table with the regular annoying crunchy paper on it for sanitation. Cabinets, counters, and a sink were on one whole wall. The only difference here compared to a normal hospital room was the table full of knives and saws stationed next to Robin.   
Gerard bolted from his spot on the stool and quickly grabbed on of the knives on the table. The second the teen had the stolen object hidden and was back in his corner, the door to the room opened abruptly.   
"Good morning, Gerard," the man who was coming in said cheerfully to the teen. Robin watched in amazement as Gerard's whole countenance changed in the wink of an eye. His eyes brightened as the masking smile took over his face.   
"'Morning," Gerard responded with as much cheerfulness. The teen was a master at masking his feelings.   
The man who had walked in was in his early to middle 50's, yet he still looked strong and young. He was bald with a few brown spots littered across the top of his hairless head. He was basket-ball-player tall with sharp features. He was a very handsome older man.   
The man wore tan dress pants with a crisp white shirt and red tie. He held his head high with a wealthy, prestigious air to him. He was a man of order and obedience. Robin summed the man up with a quick note of the look the man had in his observant, ice blue eyes. There was something evil in those eyes that shot a spike of unknown fear down Robin's spine. He had to resist the urge to shiver.   
The situation got tighter as Derek walked into the room right behind the man. Robin narrowed his eyes on the teen, but he remained quiet. He knew all too well that this wasn't going to turn out well. All ready his head was kicking into high gear.   
"Jenna the nurse told me you, young man, need some last minute tweaks to your brain," the man said to Robin. The man's voice was all open and calm, but his body language said something different. His arms were crossed in front of his large chest and his eyes were unsmiling. Robin didn't fake his skepticism toward him as he set his jaw and glared back at the man in simple defiance.   
"He's a mind reader, Robin," Gerard explained. "He is the one who actually 'purifies' the kids who come through here. He's practically harmless." An evil smile flittered across his face before he added, "Just don't get on his bad side."   
For a split second, Derek and Gerard shared a rare smile as they looked at each other. Robin watched the interaction with much interest.   
"Let's get on with this, shall we boys?" the man said sternly to the two brothers. Right away the room became frozen again. The dead air made Robin shift uncomfortably in his seat. His stomach was making knots before anything had begun. This didn't sit well with the teen. He needed a course of action.   
"Tell me exactly what you're going to do inside my head," Robin said to the mind reader standing in front of him.   
A chilling smile came the man's lips as he answered, "I go in there and get rid of any unnecessary memories that would cause you to go through any negative emotions. What I'm going to do is simply go through and see if I missed any from our first encounter."   
Robin just stared at the man, in deep thought. He was seriously going to have to go through another grueling brainwash! His mind couldn't handle that. He'd break down in five minutes or less. Robin knew exactly where his limits were. But he couldn't say no to it. That would be suicide.   
"Go ahead," Robin finally said reluctantly.   
"Good boy," the man said with the clap of his hands. Robin paused as a memory returned to him from the shadows of his mind. It was one of Slade saying those exact words. Was it possible that he could get more memories like that?   
Robin's stomach tightened as he lay down on the table. The thin sanitation paper under him crinkled and cracked as he shifted into the new position. He stared up at the ceiling, nerves crawling up and down his arms. His mind raced for a solution, a way out of the near dismal future.   
"Now, just relax, Robin," the man told the boy calmly.   
"I've got a man probing my mind," Robin said sarcastically. "I'm peachy." He flashed the group a tense smile that masked his true triumph. He had a plan.   
Closing his eyes, Robin's mind went into complete lockdown. The man put his hands right over Robin's head and closed his own eyes, focusing on the task at hand. The man felt himself penetrate the outer layer of the boy's mind. There was nothing there to see. He quickly passed on to the next layer…and was stopped dead in his tracks.   
"Relax," the man said to Robin, trying to keep his calm. "You are resisting me."   
"Sorry," Robin muttered back with a slight wince. Gerard and Derek glanced up at each other with expressionless faces before looking back down at Robin and the mind reader.   
The mind reader tried again. He frowned as Robin protested against his search at the same place. Becoming quickly frustrated, the man sharply pushed deeper without any warning. The attack sliced through the layer, bulldozing its way deeper into Robin's head.   
Robin hissed as sharp pain exploded in his head. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked the mind reader with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He could now feel the man drilling into another layer of his mind. With him closer, Robin was having terrible trouble keeping him out. The third layer was just as easy to infiltrate.   
"Resisting will only cause pain, Robin," the mind reader growled. What people didn't know was that the man went through pain if his victim experienced it too. He winced as he tried to go through the forth layer and Robin objected firmly.   
"You're hurting him, Mr. Cardenas!" Gerard pointed out when seeing Robin squirm and wince in pain.   
"He is not letting me break through," Cardenas snapped back, barely disguising his annoyance. Gerard quickly backed off, disgust masking his concern. Derek shot his brother a smug smile.   
For a few minutes they stood there. Cardenas wrestled wildly with Robin's mind. Robin boldly held off the attacks, slowly giving ground to a battle that he knew he would never win. At times both fighters would wince or grunt with pain.   
"Let's give him a break," Gerard suggested after so much pent up silence.   
"No!" Cardenas snapped back, shooting Gerard a nasty glare. "His mind is too blocked for him to just relax and give it up to me. Do not interfere, Maxwell!"   
The man started to lower his hands closer to Robin's forehead, his fingers coming dangerously close to touching the boy's skin. If contact was made, Cardenas would have full access to Robin's mind. The only problem to this method was that the subject could suffer severe brain damage if Cardenas wasn't careful enough.   
"What you are doing is madness, sir!" Gerard spat back. He couldn't sit on the sidelines anymore. He ignored his brother's deathly glare as he said urgently to Cardenas, "Robin is a great addition to the Academy. Doing this might give him brain damage. We can't afford that on this one, sir!"   
"Do not question my methods, Gerard!" Cardenas hissed venomously. "You know your place here, boy. Why can't you be more like Derek or your other brothers? You have trouble with every single order I give you these days. Either shut up or leave."   
It took everything in Gerard not to scream in frustration. Between the smug smile from Derek and the verbal lashing from the Master, he was having a hard time keeping everything together. A grim expression crossed his face as he gripped the handle of the knife behind his back. He would only use it if he had to. He hadn't been willing to kill for _her_, but this time he would be ready.   
Cardenas's fingers were about to touch Robin's forehead until Robin stopped struggling all together. Cardenas flung his arms into the air in disbelief, colorful words exploding from his mouth. "He passed out!" the man said in anger. "I can't do anything while he is unconscious!"   
Gerard let out a short sigh of relief while returning the knife to its hidden place in one of his jean's belt loops. He walked over to one of the cabinets by the door and pulled out an ammonia inhalant. He carefully put the smelling salt right up to Robin's nose and waited for him to wake. It didn't take long.   
With a gasp, the teen woke with a start. For a second he curled his nose in disgust of the smell that had woken him. He batted Gerard's arm away and sat up with a groan. "What happened?" he asked.   
"You blacked out," Derek answered. "Way to go."   
"Jeez! My head feels like its going to explode," Robin muttered as he held his head in his hands. "Please don't tell me you're going to have to probe my head again, sir," he said to Cardenas. He took in a sharp breath as his head ruthlessly tormented him.   
"Come back in a week," Cardenas said, his anger well hidden behind a curtain of pretend charm. "We'll pick up what we started at that time," He told Robin. "You still need time to heal from your first 'purifying' session. I shouldn't have tried to do anything to your brain today. I must go now, though. I have other business to attend to."   
Robin only nodded. Cardenas and Gerard nodded firmly to each other as their goodbye. Seconds later, both Cardenas and Derek were gone. Gerard let out a long sigh as he sat down right there on the floor of the room. Robin rubbed his forehead with the same sigh.   
"Don't make me worry like that ever again," Gerard said to Robin with a grin. He took out the knife and waved it at Robin while saying, "I'll kill you if you make me have a heart attack."   
"Making yourself black out hurts," Robin stated with a weak, ironic smile. The two boys looked up at each other, making eye contract. After a pause, the two busted out laughing not because anything that had just happened was funny, but because of the relief rushing through both their systems. 

-Beast Boy-

Grumbling under his breath, Beast Boy leaned against a wall to his cell one late afternoon. They hadn't fed him in a whole day and his stomach was beginning to groan for some substance. A painful ache was at the pit of his stomach, gnawing on whatever food was left in the changeling's belly.   
"Robin better get us out of here before I starve to death," Beast Boy growled to himself.   
He hadn't been tested on for a day as well. The hours had been ticking by at a painfully slow pace for the teen. He was quickly becoming bored. When he became bored all he could think about was his empty stomach. It was as bad as being tested.   
To entertain himself, the changeling morphed into a small kitten. He enjoyed being a cat because those animals could make fun out of anything. A cat's senses were high tuned and sometimes hard for the boy to control. If he didn't focus enough, Beast Boy could become just like a feisty kitten and play with the air if he had to.   
Beast Boy was only seconds into his play when a girl's voice came into his head.   
_Hello little one!_ The voice said in a kind and caring tone. _Are you new to the Academy?_   
_Whoa! Who the heck are you?_ Beast Boy thought back as if he was talking to Raven in his mind.   
_My name is Flora,_ the voice said. _I can talk to animals in their heads. How did you get here, kitten?_   
_I was captured,_ Beast Boy explained in a rush. _My whole team, the Teen Titans, was captured by these people about one or two weeks ago. I've lost track of time in this stupid cell, but I'm pretty sure it has been that much time I've been here. They've been doing tests on me everyday except for today._   
_Please, slow down, kitten,_ Flora thought with confusion. _How are you related to the Teen Titans? Are you their pet?_   
_No, I'm not a kitten at all,_ Beast Boy thought back quickly. _I'm a changeling. I changed into a kitten because I got bored. I'm Beast Boy from the Teen Titans. Didn't I tell you this in the beginning?_   
The calmness was now gone in the voice as Flora thought to him, _Oh my! So you haven't been brainwashed yet? Can you get free and help me? I've been here for a whole year! Please, Beast Boy, help me!_   
_Dude, calm down and chill for a sec!_ Beast Boy thought back in a shout. _Freaking out will get us no where. I have no way of breaking free, but I have a team mate who somehow passed the brainwashing with a few memories in tack. He will help us._   
_Please promise me you will remember to come back for me!_ Flora thought to him urgently. He could almost feel her desperation and leaping hope for freedom. He felt her pain and suffering. He had only been there for a few weeks and could hardly handle it. She had been there for a whole year! He didn't even want to think of himself being in that cell for that long.   
_Yes, Flora, I promise,_ Beast Boy thought back emotionlessly. He paused as he thought about his next words and their meaning to Flora before thinking to her, _I swear I won't put one foot out of his building until you are free from his place._   
_Beast Boy, you have no clue how much this means to me. For so long I thought hope was gone, but you finally gave some back to me. Thank you, thank you so much!_   
_No problem, dude,_ Beast Boy thought with a prideful grin on his cat face. Hope was a dangerous thing to lose, but it was easy to gain back again. 


	34. Chapter 14 Dead End Future

A/N: Yeah, posting this fic is literally only for my own entertainment these days. Oh well. I promised myself I'd finish it. For the few reading, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Teen Titan characters.

Chapter 14 Dead End Future

With bored and weary eyes, I watched the rock I had thrown boil and melt in the large ocean of lava. Black bubbles popped and hissed as the torrid sea protested against the scorching, perpetual heat. A gust of ash laden breeze blasted rudely into my face. It did nothing to cool me down. It was just heat moving from one area to another.

I had been stuck in that miserable heat world for about ten hours. I couldn't tell exactly how long it was, all I knew was that I was alone in a freaking burning wasteland with absolutely nothing to do for hours! All I wanted was a nap or at least be able to sit down for a rest. The scorching ground prevented me from even stopping, though. The soles of my shoes felt on fire each time my heel rested against the ground.

By this time I was ready to collapse in the heat. I felt like I was taking a bath in my own sweat, which is disgusting but true. The odious liquid plastered my hair and clothes to my skin. I was starving and dehydrated beyond belief. I was ready to amputate my arm for a drop of water. That's how pathetically desperate I was.

And I was bored. Bored out of my mind! My suffering kept me pretty occupied for a few hours, but after a while the heat had lost its pain and had been firmly conquered by ignorance. So I had decided to explore the territory.

For a few miles there had been nothing but the same old lava lake and red desert. I was starting to understand where that demon guy was coming from. These surroundings got tiring very fast. No wonder he wanted out so much.

Looking up, I saw a black haze on the heat streaked horizon. I didn't consider that it could be a mirage as I picked up my pace to a run. I arrived to my sought after location a half an hour later in a very out of breath state. When seeing what I had chased after, I wished it had been an illusion after all.

The place was a deserted and dismantled city of some sort. Slowly now, I walked down a street, my eyes taking in the sight. What was left of buildings was only black, charred bricks and rusted metal panels. Everything else was scattered haphazardly on hissing, heated concrete streets. Other buildings had simply caved in on themselves and sat in giant rubble ruins.

A chill made its way down my spine. That demon had done this to this city. He had completely annihilated the place. Nothing was left alive or distinct. I could feel the loss of life as if it was actually in the heat waves steadily coming up out of the ground. I suddenly felt sick. My head and stomach spun uncontrollably.

"Gene," a soft voice suddenly whispered past me, as if flying on a gust of wind.

I looked up in surprise, forgetting my illness. What I saw made me stop in my tracks and my heart skip a beat. There she stood on a hill of fallen and crumbling debris. Her long black hair wisped wildly around her head while her vibrant green eyes bored hollowly through me. There was no expression on her face. She looked dead.

"Rose," I whispered back, barely able to get the name out of my mouth.

"I miss you, Gene," she said in a monotone voice. She suddenly turned and ran away from me.

"No! Come back!" I screamed after her. I took off in a sprint to catch up with the supposedly "dead" girl. I jumped and climbed up the mountain of rubble that she had been standing on. The heat was nothing but an annoyance at the back of my mind as I frantically ran after Rose.

Almost killing myself, I rolled down the hill of wreckage. I quickly picked myself up to my feet and sprinted down the crumbling street. The street led to a large intersection. I could see Rose in the middle of the intersection. The vision of her dimmed and brightened at random times as I ran to her as if she was an apparition.

I skidded to a stop only a few feet away from her fading form. She seemed to be looking right through me. I held my breath as I watched her void and lifeless eyes stare at me. This was breaking my heart. Tears welded up in my eyes. Inside of me I knew she was just gone and this was only a glimpse of a ghost of her.

"Gene," she whispered. For a fleeting second her eyes came to spontaneous life. She looked at me and smiled faintly. I lifted my arm to try and touch her. She did the same while whispering with the wind, "I miss you."

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I whispered back with a sob, "I miss you too, Rose."

The second our fingers touched, she was gone. She scattered into the wind and blew past me without even a goodbye. I turned, not wanting to let her go and watched the invisible wind blow away from me. The ache in my heart seemed to weigh me down. I missed her and Zach so much.

At least she was in a better place. Rose had no place in my life. It was true. She was too fragile, too good to deal with me and my burdened life. She would have only suffered. At least now she would never have to suffer again.

"She's one of the few lucky ones to die before I got to her," a booming voice bellowed down upon me.

A spark of fear drove down my spine at the sound of the demon's voice. Instantly I broke out into a cold sweat. Part of my mind told me to run and get out of there, away from the giant towering behind me. But another part of that mind had frozen, preventing me from doing anything but glance back at the demon with dread.

Those four red eyes stared back down at me. Even without my powers I could feel the evil in them. The demon smiled wickedly down at me, as if I was a helpless mouse cornered and he was the victorious cat about to play with his doomed snack.

Finally, out of desperation, my mind snapped back into motion. I took off in a sprint down a random street without daring to look back to see if the big dude was following after me.

It's amazing what adrenaline can do to someone under pressure. I flew down that deserted street at break neck speed. I easily jumped over rubble and debris like I was some Mayan warrior who knew every twist and turn of his own jungle. All I could function with was running.

The demon gave a booming laugh as he gave into the chase. The ground I sped over suddenly became shaky as the giant demon casually walked over to scoop me up.

Swearing profusely under my breath, I skidded to a near stop just as the demon bent down to pick me up. I threw myself to the side, rolled back to my feet and sprinted for my life down another street. I was desperate to stay out of the hands of that demon.

At the end of the street I spotted a narrow alley way. I blasted into it and stopped to catch my belabored breath. I gasped in the hot air greedily as my mind tried to break through the block it was experiencing. I wasn't used to having brain locks. Fear had somehow gripped that part of me and was not letting me go.

Rest time was done as quickly as it had started. I was in the tight confides of the alley no more than five seconds before the demon got smart and brushed one of the buildings away. All the guy had to do was slam a fist into the weakened brick building to make it crumble.

I gave a short scream as the wall I had been leaning on suddenly decided to come tumbling down. I ran out of the alley on the side the demon wasn't. A look of sheer panic was on my face as it clouded my mind. I didn't know what to do and it was scaring me half to death.

And suddenly I wasn't in the city anymore. I made the mistake of stopping and turning around to try and get back into the destroyed metropolis. I had a better chance of avoiding the demon with buildings in his way. The wide expanse of the desert would only get me caught and possibly tortured to death.

_Wham!_

No warning at all. One second I was turning to catch my bearings, the next I was soaring through the air and feeling like a wall had whacked into me. I landed on my shoulder, did a few flips off the ground, and skidded to a stop on my stomach. I had been thrown like a rag doll, or more like hit like one. The demon had decided to whack me all the way into tomorrow, probably from the boredom of chasing me.

For a second all I did was lay there on my stomach, sucking in lungs full of ash laden hot air. Pain poured throughout my body, paralyzing me with its agony. Urgently, I struggled to my feet; fighting for my life anyway I could now.

I rose to one knee and gave a short, loud scream as I tried to use my right arm that I had landed on. It was broken. No doubt about it. Any movement of it would shoot intense, hot pain exploding down my arm.

Profanity was like a prayer now. The colorful words flowed off my tongue as if I had grown up using the vocabulary. Just as quick as the words had come, I was out of them. Soon the horror had hit my core and silenced everything in me.

I forced my burnt, bruised, and beaten body up to its feet and ran forward at what seemed like a lethargically slow pace. I could see the large shadow of the giant behind me as he walked closer to me. He slammed a foot down onto the ground and laughed as I fell to my hands and knees. A darker shadow suddenly appeared around me.

Glancing up, I saw the foot of the giant coming down on me. In a futile attempt to avoid the murderous stomp, I put my left arm above my head. I seriously thought I was finished.

I counted five excruciating slow seconds of nothing happening.

The booming laugh of the demon made me uncover my head and open my tightly closed eyes. I swung my head around and upward to see that the demon was pleased at my fear of almost being crushed to death. He leaned down so that his face was a feet away from me. I gasped in fright and tried to get to my feet. My fear made me pathetic and clumsy, though. I got nowhere very fast.

"You, child, are mine to control," the demon said in his haunting voice.

And suddenly I wasn't in control of my body. I was completely under the spell binding power of the demon. He drove me to the ground so that I was on my knees. He forced my hands behind my back. I flinched as pain drove down my right arm that was surely fractured.

The demon saw my pain and started to make that arm move up and down. At first I tried not to give him the satisfaction that he was hurting me really badly. I had tightly set my jaw and barely grunted through that raw experience. It was when he twisted that arm around that I let a scream slip. This produced a smile from him once again.

"Every passing day I get stronger," the demon told me. He said the words slowly, but I could feel the triumph and confidence in them. "Soon I will be able to break free of my bind to you. After that I will be all powerful. I will shape the world that God has spent years molding in one single blow! The world out there will soon become like this, my beautiful wasteland."

I listened to these words as they were shoved forcefully into my ears. My heart hammered against my chest. The demon had plans of turning earth into this destroyed and desolate place. I knew the guy had bad plans for when he was free, but never did I imagine this kind of destruction to be on the top of his to-do list. It was just plain heartless.

The demon bent down so that we were nose to nose. I had never been this close to him before. I would have turned away if I wasn't still trapped in his controlling spell. I was surprised that I hadn't peed in my pants or had a heart attack yet.

"And you will be the fault for your world's annihilation, child," he told me with a cruel, knowing smile. "Soon, you will let me free; release me into your precious world."

"I won't free you!" I yelled back at him. I could already feel his magic on me diminishing. He had power, but he couldn't use it for too long. His red eyes narrowed dangerously on me but I kept going. "I'll never let you get anywhere near my world! You'd have to kill me first!"

The demon laughed again at my words. I gritted my teeth. I knew that laugh all too well. It meant I didn't have any clue as to what was going on. I was out of the loop. His laugh had that harsh, knowing tone in it that drummed into my ears. Instantly I knew I was in way over my head with this demon.

He lifted my chin upwards with one of his large forefingers. I could feel the power in him. I jerked my head away in rebelliousness. He simply came back by pouring more magic into me then forcing me to look back up with his finger. I was forced to stare straight up into my capture's blood red eyes.

"You will wish to be dead when I am done with you every night, my child," he told me. "The only place you will be safe at is your own world when you wake up. But you will never feel rested or restored after sleep because I will be in your dreams. This place will be your second world.

"You will scream and plead for the mercy of death after only a few more nights. You will dread every time you close your eyes for sleep. Every night I will be here to persuade you to let me free. And the only time you will be able to escape back to the world you care too much about is when I kill you every night. When you wake up you will dread the return to darkness, the return to another death.

"You are mine, child."

This whole time I was forced to stare up at this beast, this demon. His words were true. He was going to kill me every night. I was going to have to stare death in the face each time I closed my eyes for a night's rest. How long would I last? How long would it take me to crack, to freak out, to be beaten, to give in?

As I stared up at the demon and listened to his merciless words, I began to become terribly scared. I knew no amount of screaming, pleading, or crying could change this fate. There were only a few times in my life that I got pretty scared, but it was at this point in my life that I think I was the most scared. The fear gripped my body, seizing every hope and passion out of me.

The demon brought his foot up again, more slowly this time to let the panic, the fear linger in me. I watched him with wide, dread filled eyes. I was powerless as to defending myself or getting out of the way. I was about to die.

The death was quick but painful. The foot smashed into my body at full force. I don't remember much after that. There was brief flash of unbearable and indescribable pain and agony. I couldn't scream or move as all the bones in my body were crushed into the hot, burning ground. And then my skull caved in and burrowed into my brain, immediately killing me.

And then I was screaming.

I woke up feeling like a chewed up piece of meat that had been spit out of someone's mouth because it was unwanted. I bolted up right, gasping in salty wet air. It was pouring rain where I was. Fat, warm rain drops splattered against me. I was already soaked to the core and shivering on the wooden dock I was on.

"Gene!"

It took a second for me to realize Arabell was on her knees next to me. For a brief moment all I did was stare at her while at the same time not really seeing her. Then I saw her through the rain. Her wet auburn hair hung in front of her face, but I could clearly feel all her concern, worry, and fear for me…for me.

Before I knew it I was in tears. "I was so scared!" I wailed as she watched me in disbelief. "I just died! He-he literally killed me! He crushed me to death! And Rose is dead and never coming back! She died just like I did! I was so scared!" I continued, not caring that I was totally breaking down in front of Arabell. I had reached a point that I had to crack to go on, to live.

And then Arabell did something totally amazing.

"Oh, Gene, I'm so sorry," Arabell whispered to me. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and let me sob into her shoulder. I rambled on about my fear and feelings to her as she ran her slender fingers through my hair and held me there. At times she would calmly say, "Shh. You're okay now, Gene. Shh."

After a few minutes she pulled me away from her shoulder. She delicately held my head in her warm hands so that we were looking into each others' eyes. I could feel her strength and care for her in her touch and in her gray eyes that studied my face. I held onto her strength like it was my only life line.

"Gene," she told me in a whisper. I could barely hear her above the driving rain, rushing wind, and the roaring waves. But somehow all I could hear was her voice and her words. "I'm here for you, Gene," she said. "I know you haven't trusted me since the beginning, but this is the simple truth. I'm here for you. I will always be here."

The only thing I could think of doing was wrap my arms around her and hug the girl. She hugged back. After a while I realized she was crying out of pure relief. I smiled as I felt this from her. We were both going to be okay. The future didn't look so bright, but at least I had someone with me to go through it beside me.

Arabell pulled away from me finally. We held each other at arms length and smiled before laughing. "I hate crying like that," Arabell muttered as she wiped away tears with the palm of her hands. Like it mattered. It was raining so much that her tears just looked like rain droplets on her face. I grinned at her for this.

"You weren't the one sobbing like a baby," I pointed out.

"You needed to do that," Arabell said softly.

"Yeah," I agreed after a small pause. I then got to my feet with determination in my eyes. Arabell got up beside me with her eyes pinned on me. I felt tired and beaten, but I wasn't defeated at all. Slade had given me a second chance, and it was time for me to do something right.

"What are we going to do?" Arabell asked me. She wasn't scared, just uncertain about the future.

I looked down at her and allowed myself to grin wryly. "We have some Titans to save," I told her. "I think we better get started with this rescue mission. Better late than never."


End file.
